Mountainscape, 1832

About the Work

Almost too beautiful to be true, an idyllic landscape combines plants from the Mediterranean and the Northern Alpine region. Visible behind a stone bridge and a narrow gorge is a jagged sea of cliffs. The scene follows a classical composition: before our gaze is directed upwards to the summit, it pauses for a moment on the lively foreground painted in warm shades. Here, man and beast are shown in peaceful coexistence - an idealised concept during the Romantic Age. Thanks to his poetic approach to landscape, Fries is regarded as one of the main representatives of Heidelberg Romanticism.