The Norwegian-born painter Johan Christian Dahl (1788-1857) was one of the leading artists of the German Romantic era. He was born in Bergen, Norway, in 1788 and studied at Copenhagen's Royal Academy between 1811-1818, where he trained under C.W. Eckersberg. In 1818 he travelled to Germany and settled in Dresden, where he became a member of the Academy in 1820. Dahl became close friends with Caspar David Friedrich, the leading artist of Dresden romanticism, and moved into the same house as Friedrich in 1823. The two men became close friends right through Friedrich's declining years and death in 1840. Dahl was appointed Professor at the Dresden Academy in 1824, where he would stay until his own demise in 1857.
But whereas his friend and colleague Caspar David Friedrich soared to unknown heights in creating paintings that seemed to invite the viewer to trespass into the transcendental, Dahl always stayed true to a more "realistic" conception of art. Nevertheless, the personal closeness of Dahl and Friedrich means that there was inevitably thematic and compositional overlap [1].
The present painting shows Johan Christian Dahl at his most "Friedrichian". It is a small oil sketch, the size of a Christmas card. It was made as a gift by Dahl for a close friend, the diplomat E.W. von Coopmanns, who acted apparently as Norwegian chargé d'affairs in Dresden during (some of) the 1830s. The intimate size of the painting is indicative of the fact that it was a present.
The theme and composition are firmly grounded in Dresden-based romanticism. A number of snow-covered fir trees are stood among some rocks. A few crows in the foreground are sitting on the stone to the left, whilst a third bird is sitting on a branch on the right. The presence of the trees is made more pronounced by the unclear perspective: the background is left deliberately undefined. This makes the trees dominate the composition, especially as they are grouped closely together, reminiscent of the way Friedrich would do this.
Unlike Dahl, for Caspar David Friedrich many compositions assuredly carried religious connotations, with snow, for example, representing death and fir trees the promise of resurrection [2]. Dahl did not seek to infer symbols into his paintings in this way, but he did manage to create a contemplative mood in the present oil sketch that exudes what Germans so accurately refer to as "Stimmung" [3]. The trees and the birds have been painted quite effortlessly, with just a few dabs here and there. A soft sprinkling of snow on the branches of the fir trees combined with a gloomy background, creating a warm and peaceful feel. And it is by the loose way in which this has been created that we can sense the quiet spirit that we are meant to perceive when viewing this slice of nature in such loving detail.
Today, Dahl is regarded as an important figure in early 19th century nordic (and German) romanticist art. His work can be found in leading museums all over the world.
___________________
1. Werner Busch: "Friedrich und Dahl. Thematische Verwandtschaft und bildnerische Differenz", in "Dahl und Friedrich. Romantische Landschaften", exh. cat., Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, 2014, pp. 16-23.
2. Helmut Börsch-Supan and Karl-Wilhelm Jähnig, "Caspar David Friedrich. Gemälde, Druckgraphik und bildmässige Zeichnungen", Munich 1973, pp. 412-13, nr. 363.
3. We thank Marit Lange for her assistance writing this entry.
But whereas his friend and colleague Caspar David Friedrich soared to unknown heights in creating paintings that seemed to invite the viewer to trespass into the transcendental, Dahl always stayed true to a more "realistic" conception of art. Nevertheless, the personal closeness of Dahl and Friedrich means that there was inevitably thematic and compositional overlap [1].
The present painting shows Johan Christian Dahl at his most "Friedrichian". It is a small oil sketch, the size of a Christmas card. It was made as a gift by Dahl for a close friend, the diplomat E.W. von Coopmanns, who acted apparently as Norwegian chargé d'affairs in Dresden during (some of) the 1830s. The intimate size of the painting is indicative of the fact that it was a present.
The theme and composition are firmly grounded in Dresden-based romanticism. A number of snow-covered fir trees are stood among some rocks. A few crows in the foreground are sitting on the stone to the left, whilst a third bird is sitting on a branch on the right. The presence of the trees is made more pronounced by the unclear perspective: the background is left deliberately undefined. This makes the trees dominate the composition, especially as they are grouped closely together, reminiscent of the way Friedrich would do this.
Unlike Dahl, for Caspar David Friedrich many compositions assuredly carried religious connotations, with snow, for example, representing death and fir trees the promise of resurrection [2]. Dahl did not seek to infer symbols into his paintings in this way, but he did manage to create a contemplative mood in the present oil sketch that exudes what Germans so accurately refer to as "Stimmung" [3]. The trees and the birds have been painted quite effortlessly, with just a few dabs here and there. A soft sprinkling of snow on the branches of the fir trees combined with a gloomy background, creating a warm and peaceful feel. And it is by the loose way in which this has been created that we can sense the quiet spirit that we are meant to perceive when viewing this slice of nature in such loving detail.
Today, Dahl is regarded as an important figure in early 19th century nordic (and German) romanticist art. His work can be found in leading museums all over the world.
___________________
1. Werner Busch: "Friedrich und Dahl. Thematische Verwandtschaft und bildnerische Differenz", in "Dahl und Friedrich. Romantische Landschaften", exh. cat., Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, 2014, pp. 16-23.
2. Helmut Börsch-Supan and Karl-Wilhelm Jähnig, "Caspar David Friedrich. Gemälde, Druckgraphik und bildmässige Zeichnungen", Munich 1973, pp. 412-13, nr. 363.
3. We thank Marit Lange for her assistance writing this entry.
Birds in the snow, 1836
Signed lower right: J Dahl 1836
Oil on canvas laid on wood
10 x 9,5 cm
Provenance
E.W. von Coopmanns, Dresden, 1836;Auction Blomqvist, Oslo, 4 December 1978, lot 15a;
Private collection, Norway;
Christie's London, 29 November 1991, lot 77;
Private collection, Switzerland
Literature
M.L. Bang, Johan Christian Dahl, 1788-1857. Life and Works, Oslo, 1987, II, p.258, nr. 823; III, plate 349.
The Norwegian-born painter Johan Christian Dahl (1788-1857) was one of the leading artists of the German Romantic era. He was born in Bergen, Norway, in 1788 and studied at Copenhagen's Royal Academy between 1811-1818, where he trained under C.W. Eckersberg. In 1818 he travelled to Germany and settled in Dresden, where he became a member of the Academy in 1820. Dahl became close friends with Caspar David Friedrich, the leading artist of Dresden romanticism, and moved into the same house as Friedrich in 1823. The two men became close friends right through Friedrich's declining years and death in 1840. Dahl was appointed Professor at the Dresden Academy in 1824, where he would stay until his own demise in 1857.
But whereas his friend and colleague Caspar David Friedrich soared to unknown heights in creating paintings that seemed to invite the viewer to trespass into the transcendental, Dahl always stayed true to a more "realistic" conception of art. Nevertheless, the personal closeness of Dahl and Friedrich means that there was inevitably thematic and compositional overlap [1].
The present painting shows Johan Christian Dahl at his most "Friedrichian". It is a small oil sketch, the size of a Christmas card. It was made as a gift by Dahl for a close friend, the diplomat E.W. von Coopmanns, who acted apparently as Norwegian chargé d'affairs in Dresden during (some of) the 1830s. The intimate size of the painting is indicative of the fact that it was a present.
The theme and composition are firmly grounded in Dresden-based romanticism. A number of snow-covered fir trees are stood among some rocks. A few crows in the foreground are sitting on the stone to the left, whilst a third bird is sitting on a branch on the right. The presence of the trees is made more pronounced by the unclear perspective: the background is left deliberately undefined. This makes the trees dominate the composition, especially as they are grouped closely together, reminiscent of the way Friedrich would do this.
Unlike Dahl, for Caspar David Friedrich many compositions assuredly carried religious connotations, with snow, for example, representing death and fir trees the promise of resurrection [2]. Dahl did not seek to infer symbols into his paintings in this way, but he did manage to create a contemplative mood in the present oil sketch that exudes what Germans so accurately refer to as "Stimmung" [3]. The trees and the birds have been painted quite effortlessly, with just a few dabs here and there. A soft sprinkling of snow on the branches of the fir trees combined with a gloomy background, creating a warm and peaceful feel. And it is by the loose way in which this has been created that we can sense the quiet spirit that we are meant to perceive when viewing this slice of nature in such loving detail.
Today, Dahl is regarded as an important figure in early 19th century nordic (and German) romanticist art. His work can be found in leading museums all over the world.
___________________
1. Werner Busch: "Friedrich und Dahl. Thematische Verwandtschaft und bildnerische Differenz", in "Dahl und Friedrich. Romantische Landschaften", exh. cat., Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, 2014, pp. 16-23.
2. Helmut Börsch-Supan and Karl-Wilhelm Jähnig, "Caspar David Friedrich. Gemälde, Druckgraphik und bildmässige Zeichnungen", Munich 1973, pp. 412-13, nr. 363.
3. We thank Marit Lange for her assistance writing this entry.
But whereas his friend and colleague Caspar David Friedrich soared to unknown heights in creating paintings that seemed to invite the viewer to trespass into the transcendental, Dahl always stayed true to a more "realistic" conception of art. Nevertheless, the personal closeness of Dahl and Friedrich means that there was inevitably thematic and compositional overlap [1].
The present painting shows Johan Christian Dahl at his most "Friedrichian". It is a small oil sketch, the size of a Christmas card. It was made as a gift by Dahl for a close friend, the diplomat E.W. von Coopmanns, who acted apparently as Norwegian chargé d'affairs in Dresden during (some of) the 1830s. The intimate size of the painting is indicative of the fact that it was a present.
The theme and composition are firmly grounded in Dresden-based romanticism. A number of snow-covered fir trees are stood among some rocks. A few crows in the foreground are sitting on the stone to the left, whilst a third bird is sitting on a branch on the right. The presence of the trees is made more pronounced by the unclear perspective: the background is left deliberately undefined. This makes the trees dominate the composition, especially as they are grouped closely together, reminiscent of the way Friedrich would do this.
Unlike Dahl, for Caspar David Friedrich many compositions assuredly carried religious connotations, with snow, for example, representing death and fir trees the promise of resurrection [2]. Dahl did not seek to infer symbols into his paintings in this way, but he did manage to create a contemplative mood in the present oil sketch that exudes what Germans so accurately refer to as "Stimmung" [3]. The trees and the birds have been painted quite effortlessly, with just a few dabs here and there. A soft sprinkling of snow on the branches of the fir trees combined with a gloomy background, creating a warm and peaceful feel. And it is by the loose way in which this has been created that we can sense the quiet spirit that we are meant to perceive when viewing this slice of nature in such loving detail.
Today, Dahl is regarded as an important figure in early 19th century nordic (and German) romanticist art. His work can be found in leading museums all over the world.
___________________
1. Werner Busch: "Friedrich und Dahl. Thematische Verwandtschaft und bildnerische Differenz", in "Dahl und Friedrich. Romantische Landschaften", exh. cat., Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, 2014, pp. 16-23.
2. Helmut Börsch-Supan and Karl-Wilhelm Jähnig, "Caspar David Friedrich. Gemälde, Druckgraphik und bildmässige Zeichnungen", Munich 1973, pp. 412-13, nr. 363.
3. We thank Marit Lange for her assistance writing this entry.
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