Gebirgslandschaft mit Burgruine 

Franz Kobell rendered this Mountainous Landscape with Castle Ruins in pen and brown ink, a popular technique in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Kobell lived during the Enlightenment, a time when reason and individualism were emphasized. This drawing reflects the era’s growing interest in nature, and the sublime, but also the period's complex relationship with history and power. We see figures, perhaps peasants, at the bottom of the image on the left; diminutive, in the shadows. Further into the picture is what remains of a medieval castle, hinting at a feudal past. The landscape here isn’t just a backdrop, but a stage where the dramas of class and power are quietly played out. Kobell's choice of a ruined castle is significant. Was it a symbol of a bygone era, or a critique of power? And what does it mean to place these ruins within an otherwise idealized landscape? What this work asks of us, is to reflect on the layers of history etched into the land and to consider whose stories are told, and whose are left to crumble.