Blick vom Rheingrafenstein in das Nahetal 

Carl Morgenstern made this landscape, Blick vom Rheingrafenstein in das Nahetal, using watercolor on paper. Watercolors, like other paints, rely on finely ground pigments to achieve their color. But in contrast to oils, which use the medium of linseed to suspend the pigment, watercolor uses--well, water! The effect is quite different. Oil paintings have a depth and richness, but watercolors are immediate and delicate. The landscape that Morgenstern depicts is in the valley of the Nahe River. It is a traditional Romantic scene of nature's grandeur. But consider, too, the human labor and social context that lies just outside this frame. The rocks and hills rendered in the watercolor would have been sites of resource extraction – slate, gravel, and other materials that were essential to industrializing economies. It's something to consider when taking in this seemingly simple, peaceful scene.