Women Bathing in the Park of Terni, Carl Blechen
Carl Blechen
Women Bathing in the Park of Terni
DE
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Carl Blechen

Women Bathing in the Park of Terni, 1828 – 1829


Dimensions
104.0 x 78.0 cm
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Inventory Number
1888
Acquisition
Acquired in 1934
Status
On display, 1st upper level, Modern Art, room 2

Texts

About the Work

The viewer who ventures into the sensuous world of these bathers is an intruder. The woodland idyll contrasts with the frightened gestures of the women, who quickly retreat from the summery light into the darkness. Blechen does not focus his attention on the nudity of the women, choosing instead to celebrate nature as a protective place that is also mysterious and overpowering. The height of the trees and the exaggeratedly tall format of the picture make the bathing women look tiny, while the brightness of the foreground emphasises the darkness of the forest. Blechen painted several variations of this scene in the park at Terni.

Work Data

Basic Information

Title
Women Bathing in the Park of Terni
Painter
Period Produced
School
Object Type
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Material
Technique

Property and Acquisition

Institution
Departement
Collection
Creditline
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Picture Copyright
Public Domain
Acquisition
Acquired in 1934

Work Content

Motifs and References

Iconclass

Primary
  • 31AA545 taking a bath - AA - in the open air
  • 41D92 woman (showing herself) undressed, quasi-nude
  • 31AA231(+2) standing figure - AA - female human figure (+ back view)
  • 43B42 park
  • 61E(TERNI) names of cities and villages (TERNI)
Secondary

Research and Discussion

Provenance

Object History
...
Philipp Wilhelm Holzmann (1869-1951), Berlin
im Tausch gegen die Gemälde "Bildnis Otto Fürst von Bismarck“ von Franz von Lenbach (Inv. Nr. 1246, erworben 1892) und „Mädchen an einem Brunnen in der Nähe eines Klosters“ von Joseph Anton Koch (Inv. Nr. 1668, erworben 1922) an das Städelsche Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt am Main, 1934.

Information

Since 2001, the Städel Museum has systematically been researching the provenance of all objects that were acquired during the National Socialist period, or that changed owners or could have changed owners during those years. The basis for this research is the “Washington Declaration”, also known as the “Washington Conference Principles”, formulated at the 1998 “Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets” and the subsequent “Joint Declaration”.

The provenance information is based on the sources researched at the time they were published digitally. However, this information can change at any time when new sources are discovered. Provenance research is therefore a continuous process and one that is updated at regular intervals.

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  • the type of acquisition and/or the way the object changed hands
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  • the date on which it changed hands

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Conservation and Restoration

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Last update

24.11.2023