“Schwarzwaldlandschaft” (1917) by Hans Thoma

The piece of art that I chose is an oil painting by German artist Hans Thoma called Schwarzwaldlandschaft, or “Black Forest Landscape.” It was painted at the beginning of the 20th century, when the colorful Fauvism style was most popular. It caught my eye because of its simplicity at first glance, but complexity as you notice each careful detail. Thoma created many similar portraits during his time alive, mainly painting natural landscapes and scenes in his home region of the German Black Forest. Born in Bernau, he was completely surrounded in his early life by the rolling hills, mountains, forests, and lakes that had entranced other artists, foresters, and wanderers of Germany for centuries.

His contemporary, romantic style had a unique perspective from his poor, rural upbringing, allowing him to depict scenes of daily life that were realistic to those in the region and that felt like a blink of a real scene in “simple” life. The nostalgia that his works bring, like this one, remind me of the contentment one can find in the slower pace of life. Sprinkled through the painting are small scenes of human-nature interaction. This includes a little girl standing by two small sheep resting by a creek, a man crossing a bridge carrying a scythe to harvest some type of crop, and some wooden fencing. Thoma is known for his local-based palette, bringing in the real colors of the flowers, grasses, and streams that covered the landscape around him in the BlacK Forest Region.

His work is unique because it romanticized the wilderness of Germany in a realistic way by not exaggerating or idealizing what the perfect scenery would be or always picking the most breathtaking views to paint. He chose scenes that many might find mundane and uninteresting without his delicate oil work and observational eye. Coming from a poor upbringing, he was able to understand and convey scenes of fulfillment in life without luxury, wealth, or class. He painted simple scenes of looking out the window towards a few trees, or the woods on a wintery day, often with ‘peasants’ as the main figures. In Schwarzwaldlandschaft, the same pigmented blue and orange tones on the little girls clothes can be seen reflecting in the creek. The man walking with a scythe also has clothes than seem to blend with a scene. While the people are clearly civilized and using the resources of the environment around them, they seem to live in harmony with the space.

Hans Thoma’s style was likely so impactful to Germans (and people around the world) because of its attention to the simple beauties of rural life. He showed the beauty in German scenery and why it’s important to preserve as much nature as possible. Without these gorgeous landscapes to look at and exist amongst, the contentment and connection with nature he and others felt would be entirely lost.

Sources:

Der braune Bach by Hans Thoma. (n.d.). Artvee. Retrieved April 24, 2023, from https://artvee.com/dl/der-braune-bach/

Hans Thoma. (2023, March 27). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Thoma

Tutt’Art, Z. B. (n.d.). Hans Thoma | Symbolist painter. Tutt’Art@ | Pittura • Scultura • Poesia • Musica. Retrieved April 24, 2023, from https://www.tuttartpitturasculturapoesiamusica.com/2014/06/Hans-Thoma.html

Udo, Nils. “Trees”. Photograph. Nils-Udo, Gasteig Munich, 1989. https://www.nils-udo.com/art-in-the-urban-space/?lang=en

Nils Udo is a German artist who is known for his pinpointed focus on environmentalist artworks including sculptures, paintings, and photographs. He was born in Bavaria, Germany in 1937 and was raised to appreciate the beauty of nature through German culture as well as work experience which he gained as a farming assistant in the Chiemgau Alps (Song, 2010). As Nils Udo grew in age, his fascination with nature continued to grow and heavily impacted his work as an artist. Taking a look at a specific piece of his work, “Trees” is a perfect example of Nils Udo showcasing his appreciation and conservational approach towards nature. “Trees” is a sculpture that was created by Nils Udo from branches of decaying trees in Munich (Udo, 1989). This work was created in 1989 and is “land-art,” which is a specific style of artwork popularized in the 1960’s-70’s that used materials from nature such as leaves, sticks, dirt, and used them to create a sculpture either within the area the materials were derived from or using the materials to create works that are showcased indoors (Tate Gallery, 2023). Nils Udo created many “land-art” pieces within Germany, such as “Trees” in Munich, and across the globe from France to Canada.

Nils Udo’s purpose in creating “land-art” was to limit the negative consequences of consumerism on the environment as well as to enhance the natural beauty of an area for the average individual (Song, 2010). Using items already found within each local environment helps keep the area free from potentially harmful and foreign structures or substances that could cause detrimental effects to local wildlife or plant life (Song, 2010). Nils Udo used this practice to display the beauty already hidden within local environments. Nils Udo is very passionate about preserving the environment and slowing the impacts of climate change which is why his works are centered around enhancing the beauty of an environment with materials that are native to the area.

Overall, the artwork “Trees” is important to German environments and Germany because it showcases the beauty of nature within its natural environment which pertains to trees from Munich for this artwork. Germany’s sustainable history and cultural significance of the environment aided Nils Udo in his artwork and his use of “land-art” which prompted his positions on environmental activism (Song, 2010). We can learn from this artwork and look for more sustainable resources within our own environment and use them to enhance our world as well as emphasize the beauty of the world as it is. These practices would aid in protecting the environment as well as limiting the use of over consumerism in the United States.

Resources

Dunne, Aidan. “Visual Arts: South: To the Waters and the Wild.” Circa, no. 105 (2003): 21–21. https://doi.org/10.2307/25563996.

The Board of Trustees of the Tate Gallery. “Land Art.” Tate Gallery, Accessed on April 23, 2023. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/l/land-art

Udo, Nils. Trees. Photograph. Nils-Udo, Gasteig Munich, 1989. https://www.nils-udo.com/art-in-the-urban-space/?lang=en

Young Imm Kang Song. “Art in Nature and Schools: Nils-Udo.” The Journal of Aesthetic Education 44, no. 3 (2010): 96–108. https://doi.org/10.5406/jaesteduc.44.3.0096.

Caspar David Friedrich, a German painter, produced the work “Wanderer above the Sea of Fog” in 1818. The Romantic period, which lasted from the late 18th to the middle of the 19th century, is known for having some of the most recognizable works ever created. In the painting, a single person is shown gazing out over a huge expanse of mountains and valleys shrouded in fog while standing on a rocky protrusion. The man’s face can’t be seen because of the black robe covering his body and walking stick in his hand. The painting has a feeling of mystery and grandeur because to the towering mountains and the churning fog that dominate the scene.

The painting has a strong connection to German landscapes and portrays the country’s cultural and historical setting during the Romantic era. The painting was produced in 1818, a year of profound social and political change in Germany. Germany was going through its Industrial Revolution at the time, which contributed to a rising sense of isolation and estrangement from nature. In response to this trend, the Romantic movement was born, emphasizing the value of personal experience, emotion, and the natural world. The painting, which in numerous aspects reflects Germany’s cultural and historical setting, embodies this Romantic ideal of man’s interaction with nature. The scenery depicted in the painting is hilly, which is a typical aspect of the German countryside. Mountains frequently appear in Friedrich’s painting as symbols of both the majesty and the mystique of the natural world. A figure standing on a rocky protrusion in the painting might be interpreted as a metaphor for the person’s interaction with nature. Because of his black coat, the person stands out and draws attention to the contrast between the natural environment and human presence. The painting’s use of light and shadow illustrates the Romantic movement’s emphasis on personal experience and emotion. A gentle, golden light that conveys concentration and reflection surrounds the person. The fog that envelops the mountains underlines the concept that nature is a strong force that is beyond human comprehension and contributes to the painting’s feeling of mystery and majesty.

According to the painting, we can learn “Wanderer above the Sea of Fog” provides a distinctive viewpoint on the surroundings in addition to just representing it. The painting’s subject, who is standing on a rocky protrusion and is gazing out over a huge expanse of mountains and valleys, invites the viewer to put oneself in that similar situation. This viewpoint conveys awe and majesty that is hard to convey in other ways. The painting has a sense of mystery and wonder that is enhanced by the use of light and shadow, and the swirling fog also contributes to this feeling. The painting illustrates the focus on personal experience and emotion that the Romantic movement placed. The painting enables the observer to interact with the scene on a personal level, to take in its majesty and beauty, and to be awed and inspired. It is not possible to develop an emotional connection to the environment just via scientific research or observation. It is crucial to remember that art has the power to elicit feelings and meaning in a manner that is often difficult to achieve via other methods. The painting “Wanderer above the Sea of Fog” provides an experience that is distinct from merely looking at a scene. With this painting, Friedrich captures the essence of the landscape by evoking feelings and ideas as well as its physical qualities.

Source:

https://www.artble.com/artists/caspar_david_friedrich/paintings/wanderer_above_the_sea_of_fog

“Sertig Valley in Autumn” was painted by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner in 1925. Kirchner was a founder of the Die Brücke style of German Expressionism, which emerged in the early 20th century in Dresden as a rejection of traditional artistic styles. “Brücke” translates to bridge, and these artists saw themselves as a sort of bridge between the artistic world and the bourgeois. The group became defined by bright colors and intense emotion in scenes sometimes communicating radical political views. A manifesto from Die Brücke written in 1906 states that their goal was to “achieve freedom of life and action against the well-established older forces” (Brücke, n.d.). 

The Sertig Valley is located in Davos, Switzerland. After serving in the German Army in 1915, Kirchner had a mental breakdown and became addicted to morphine. He traveled to a sanatorium in Davos to retreat from the war and his former city life. This self-imposed exile in Switzerland lasted until his death in 1938. He was blacklisted by the Nazis, and fearing that they might invade Switzerland took his own life. In his time in Davos, Kirchner was fascinated by the sturdy characters and simple lives of his Swiss neighbors. His work here received less acclaim but focused more on the beauty of nature and human connection to it. 

This painting depicts a mountain vista and small village along a winding river, foregrounded by three figures, perhaps hiking in the mountains, overlooking the valley along with the viewer. The brushstrokes are rough and expressive. Bright blues, yellows, greens, and pinks are layered beside each other, giving the painting a vivid, dream-like quality. While the Expressionist landscapes painted by Kirchner’s comrades back in Germany turned more muted and somber as the war progressed, the joy of his freedom and security is evident in the painting’s boisterous character. This contrast highlights how the political and emotional environments shape artist’s work as much, if not more, than the physical. Kirchner’s experience of the Sertig Valley is literally colored by his personal experience of healing. 

For many German Expressionists, their goal “achieve freedom of life” through art was continually challenged by oppressive forces. Kirchner’s retreat from conflict and fear perhaps made possible the realization of this goal. The Sertig Valley is not a German environment per se, but painted by a German in an era of increased emigration and oppression, it is a bright example of beauty and reprieve. 

References

Brücke. (n.d.). Tate. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/b/brucke

German Expressionism—One of the Greatest German Art Movements. (2021, February 15). Artincontext.Org. https://artincontext.org/german-expressionism/

German Expressionism Themes: Nature. (n.d.). MoMA. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.moma.org/s/ge/curated_ge/themes/nature.html

Siegal, N. (2015, December 2). Mountains as Muse for a Self-Exiled Artist. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/03/arts/international/mountains-as-muse-for-a-self-exiled-artist.html

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a distinguished German poet, playwright, and novelist born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1789 and attended Leipzig University at the age of 16 in 1765 to study law. Though, he won accolades for his poetry, including his first collection of love poems titled Annette. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe survived through severe lung infections and suspected tuberculosis during which he wrote another collection called the Leipzig Songbook. His work seems to consistently reflect his experiences: Annette based on his love for an innkeepers daughter, Leipzig Songbook during his years of illness, Roman Elegies based on art he encountered during his time in Italy, and Hermann and Dorothea during the French Revolution and his cognitive dissonance between a bourgeois, peacefully complacent lifestyle or a revolutionary democratic lifestyle.

Most famously Goethe wrote Faust, influenced by Christopher Marlow’s play Doctor Faustus about a man who struggles with the limits of knowledge, power, and enjoyment and faces the offer of having a “good” Christian conscience by a good angel and a path of eternal damnation by an evil angel. The young scholar engages with the devil and it costs him his soul. The sources of inspiration are heavily derivative of society’s consideration of metaphysics, Christianity, and German Romanticism.

The Death of the Fly by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe:

Taking creative and analytic freedoms, The Death of the Fly can be read through a lens of greed, over consumption, and existentialism. It is interpreted that the fly gets a taste of something irresistible and decadently delicious, let us say it is a sweet bait in a fly trap. The fly cannot be removed or convinced to leave the trap as it has had a taste and must continue feasting and consuming at any cost. Bathing in the luxury of contentedness, the life of the fly is fleeting as his limbs and body begin to evanesce. The desire and greed grace his downfall.

Imagine we were to replace some words of the above summary to be congruent with overconsumption of fossil fuels and the destruction of the planet. Humans have become accustomed to the luxury of burning Earth’s finite materials. We cannot be removed or convinced to leave fossil fuels in the past, they are too sweet of a luxury. We consume at any cost. While countries in the core live happily and healthily, floods and natural disasters devastate island nations, melting sea ice leaves arctic animals stranded and without food, rivers like the Rhine see lower and lower levels from receding feeding glaciers, and so much more than mere death.

The Death of the Fly critiques the selfishness and blindness of beings whether it is that of an insect or that of a human. While Germany moves further and further away from fossil fuels there is still a dependence on coal and lignite coal, along with the rest of the world still heavily dependent on nonrenewable sources of energy.

Works Cited

Boyle, N. (2023, March 18). Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Johann-Wolfgang-von-Goethe

Poetry Foundation. (n.d.). Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Poetry Foundation. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe#tab-poems

Abtei im Eichwald, known in English as The Abbey in the Oakwood, is one of many of Caspar David Friedrich’s depictions of the ruins of Eldena Abbey. This particular iteration stands out because of the dark, Gothic tone of the piece. The funeral, graveyard, scraggly trees, waning light, and sliver of a moon all combine in this painting to send a message about the relationship between nature and humanity. Painted between 1809 and 1810, it is solidly a part of the Romantic Period.

Many people interpret this piece of being representative of the temporary nature of humans and human creations. This is both because of the crumbling Abbey and the funeral. The combination of a grand building being brought down to such a disheveled state and the reminder of human death creates a theme of humanity coming to a close. While the Abbey in this painting was inspired by a real place, the foreboding trees were a creative choice, so their presence is obviously significant.The contrast between the tiny, mourning humans and the tall, overgrown trees finetunes the message to one of nature overtaking humanity.

This is related to German environments because it depicts the role of trees, and by extension forests, seen throughout many pieces of art and literature, such as the Brothers Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Forests are consistently shown as powerful, mystical forces. They are neither good nor evil, but it is understood they should be feared. The imagery of these trees overtaking a religiously sacred place is a classic example of this. The fact that German artists and writers persistently chose this specific portrayal of forests shows a broader cultural dynamic between Germans and their trees.

Geographically speaking, this dynamic makes sense and can help modern day people understand what a pre-industrialized Germany looked like. It is difficult to picture what it was like before most places were easily navigable by vehicles, but that time is well-preserved by German artworks like this one. In a time where travel was by foot, directions were word-of-mouth or from personal experience, and the technology to efficiently create pathways and roads was just not there, forests were a genuinely dangerous place to travel through. The high risk of getting lost with little hope of rescue contributed to the formidable reputation of forests in German art.

That being said, forests were also an easy source of wood for the average German. With wood being necessary for everything from heating to building, its appearance as an endlessly accessible and vital resource for early Germans granted forests a level of respect. This complicated perspective on forests created from their role as both dangerous, inconvenient, travel-inhibitors and also an invaluable resource of the fuel for daily life is one that is difficult to understand from simply looking at the facts, but becomes much clearer in light of artistic renditions such as this one.

Citations:

Frenssen, Birthe. “Ruins of Eldena Abbey.” Caspar David Friedrich Seit 1774 In Greifswald, Universitäts- Und Hansestadt Greifswald, http://www.caspar-david-friedrich-greifswald.de/ruins-of-eldena-abbey.html.

Friedrich, Caspar David. Abtei Im Eichwald. 1809, Alte Nationalgallerie.

Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff (1788-1857), a German poet and novelist during the Romanticism time period, is highly regarded by many as one of the greatest German Romantic poets and lyricists in history. The popularized Romanticism Period began in the late eighteenth-century and lasted into the nineteenth-century. The Enlightenment served as a catalyst for the Romanticism Period, as it was a time for artists to combat the popularity of sciences with a deeper, unscientifically explainable connection to the world. Joseph von Eichendorff’s work contained supernatural elements that gave way to a number of fantastical works of literature, which carried a wide array of emotions interconnected with the supernatural elements.

The piece of literature I am introducing is titled “Wehmut” by Joseph von Eichendorff; the direct translation into English is “Melancholy.” The poem explores the connection of spirituality and nature, as nature induces an introspective stream of thoughts through the poet’s mind. The poem tells the tale of Eichendorff having intense melancholic emotions with seemingly no reason, despite being surrounded in the beautiful landscapes of a valley. As he continues to wander through nature, the sights and sounds connect him with an ancient spirituality existing in every aspect of nature. Though his body remains in the physical world, his mind travels distances following the paths of nature’s divinity. After the dream-like experience is completed, the poet returns to the physical world with his emotions antithesis to his emotions in the beginning: calm, tranquil, and cheerful.

Eichendorff explains that nature serves as a conduit for communication between the physical world of humans, and the spiritual world, in which nature’s ancient spirituality roams the mind. Nature’s divinity is always alive in the world, yet the commotion of daily lives distracts humans, preventing us from making meaningful connection with it’s spirituality; spending time in nature not only allows one to find solace, but too, forms a transcendental relationship with nature and it’s soul. Through the artistic views of German Romanticism, Eichendorff was able to capture the essence of nature beyond the logic of the physical world.

German Romanticism works similar to Joseph von Eichendorff’s, paved the way nature lovers and environmentalist alike to protect and find beauty in nature beyond its physical value. The works of Eichendorff, throw readers into a time where disconnection from society promoted connection to nature, rather than solitude and isolation from oneself and others. “Wehmut” is an important reminder to human’s that nature has more than scientific value as it equally importantly is an emotional conduit.

Works cited:

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Joseph, baron von Eichendorff”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joseph-Freiherr-von-Eichendorff. Accessed 23 April 2023.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Romanticism”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Nov. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/art/Romanticism. Accessed 23 April 2023.

Eichendorff, Joseph Von. “Gedichte: Wehmut: Joseph Von Eichendorff.” Gedichte: Wehmut | Joseph Von Eichendorff, https://www.textlog.de/eichendorff/gedichte/wehmut-ii.

Caspar David Friedrich was one of the most prominent German painters during the Romantic Era. He was born on September 5, 1774, in Greifswald, Pomerania, which is now  apart of Germany. He died May 7 1840 in Dresden, where he was a professor and artist for many years. He is known for his vast landscape paintings, invoking the mysterious and regal elements of nature. These would come to be understood as key elements of German Romanticism, and Friedrich was a defining artist of this time. He helped to define the sublime as a key part of the Romantic era, combining religious elements with nature. Human helplessness against nature was a central theme of his work, seen in the piece above.

Das Eismeer, further known by its English name The Sea of Ice, is estimated to have been painted by Friedrich in 1824. It depicts a frozen seascape, with a large pile of thick sheets of ice dominating the foreground. In the background, it is clear that the ice has damaged and sunk multiple ships. Wood hulls stick out from the ice spires amid a bright polar sky. It is believed that Friedrich was making a reference to Sir William Parry’s expedition to the Arctic in 1819. Fueled by a reverence and fear of the powerful forces of nature, Friedrich may have been making a commentary on his worries for venturing into the arctic. The expedition was largely successful, but The Sea of Ice depicts an alternate reality.

This painting captures not only the seascape of the arctic circle but provides a window into  German Romantic feeling for nature. Certain land- and seascapes were held in high regard as spiritual, powerful places. The idea of the sublime in nature can be seen in many Caspar David Friedrich paintings, and may have helped to found the modern German feelings toward nature. Today, the idea of waldeinsamkeit is a uniquely German concept referring to the peace and serenity one feels in the forest. This term speaks to the feeling of clarity being in a sublime natural environment can imbue in people. Perhaps these types of associations with nature as both a peaceful place of reflection and an expanse of great power can be tied back to the Romantic painting of Caspar David Friedrich.

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210314-waldeinsamkeit-germanys-cherished-forest-tradition

http://vanishingice.org/caspar-david-friedrich

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Caspar-David-Friedrich

Akte im Freien, literally translated as “Nudes in the Open,” but known by the English title, “Under the Trees,” was painted by German artist Max Pechstein in 1911 as part of the German art movement Die Brücke.  Die Brücke, or “The Bridge” was founded in 1905 by Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, and Max Pechstein, and it is acknowledged as the birth of expressionism. Expressionism is characterized by somewhat flat figures rendered with large strokes in bold and sometimes clashing colors. The rougher brushwork and more aggressive colors are meant to challenge the existing status quo of popular art and portray a more authentic depth of feeling.  Munch’s “The Scream” is the most iconic work of expressionism, though Munch himself was not part of Die Brücke. 

In Germany, Die Brücke named themselves because they intended to be a bridge between the past and present. None of the four founding members had a traditional art background, reflected in their avant-garde applications of paint. However, they wanted to uphold the traditions of German art by combining classic techniques in new ways, such as experimentation with printmaking and oil paint.  

In this painting, Pechstein portrays a group of four naked women in warm orange tones, milling in the shade of a dark green tree.  Nudity was a common subject in the movement, as the expressionist philosophy considered it to be natural and authentic.  “Under the Trees” renders the women’s faces in little detail, with most of the definition going into the lines of the body.  However, the women are not in sexualized positions and seem to be going about their business, not even facing the viewer.  Their bodies are emphasized as natural, rendered in the same warm tones as the sandy landscape.  In this bright landscape of yellow, red, and orange, the overhanging trees provide color contrast and visual relief from the bright, hot colors.  It emphasizes the peaceful element of the natural settings with deep blues and greens that seem to cool off the landscape.  Trees are rare in expressionist art, but in this painting the natural setting seems to fit the free figures.  It’s an intensely vivid setting that is brighter and happier than most settings in the movement. In the German title, “Freien” refers to the open air environment, but “frei” literally means free.  Outside of the increasingly industrialized world, Pechstein shows figures that have embraced nature and are able to freely express themselves.  

Sources: 

https://www.theartstory.org/movement/die-brucke/

https://www.moma.org/collection/terms/die-brucke-the-bridge#:~:text=The%20artists’%20group%20Die%20Br%C3%BCcke,and%20provoke%20an%20emotional%20response.