OSWALD ACHENBACH Lot n° 1635

OSWALD ACHENBACH 1827 Düsseldorf - 1905 ibid. Evening atmosphere on the terrace of a Roman villa (1887) Oil on canvas. 90,5 x 134 cm (R. 100,5 x 145 cm). Signed and dated lower right 'Osw. Achenbach 1887'. Frame. Oswald Achenbach belongs, with his older brother Andreas, to the most important European landscape painters of the 19th century, which is why they are also known as the 'A and O of landscape'. At the age of 8, O. Achenbach was given the opportunity to study at the Düsseldorf Art Academy, which he left again after a few years because the strict academic guidelines restricted him too much in his artistic nature. During his first trip to Italy, he discovered his love for the Mediterranean landscape and its people, which became the most important subject of his art. Focusing on expressive colors and the effect of light and shadow, he depicts, with an almost poetic mood, scenes of southern folk life. He takes the viewer on a journey to the Italy of the 19th century and tries to make him feel the nature and the associated experience. The offered painting, which was probably created during his numerous stays in Italy, shows Oswald Achenbach's special way of painterly engagement with the landscape. He invites the viewer to a terrace of a villa as a silent observer to perceive the locals and travelers in the setting sun. The scene is thereby immersed in the warm colors of the sun, which is still visible in the background. Provenance: Rhenish private collection.