The Interior of the Palm House on the Pfaueninsel Near Potsdam

1834

The work of Carl Blechen, a pivotal figure in 19th-century German painting, marks a transition from Romanticism to a more realistic view of nature. Inspired in part by his encounter with the Italian landscape and light during a trip he made around 1828 or 1829, Blechen developed a fluid technique that enabled him to capture fleeting atmospheric effects. He often used his landscapes as settings for mysterious figures, reflecting his early contact with Romantic painting and theater.

Public domain · CC0
Free to download and reuse. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist

Carl Blechen (German, 1798–1840)

Date

1834

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

135 × 126 cm (52 1/2 × 50 in.); Framed: 155 × 145.5 cm (61 × 57 1/4 in.)

Origin

Germany

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

Through prior acquisitions of the George F. Harding Collection; L.L. and A.S. Coburn and Alexander A. McKay endowments; through prior gift of William Wood Prince; through prior acquisitions of the Charles H. and Mary F. S. Worcester Endowment