Belgern at the Elbe c. 1775 - 1779

Curator: Georg Melchior Kraus completed this work, entitled "Belgern at the Elbe," sometime between 1775 and 1779. It’s currently part of the Städel Museum's collection. The piece is crafted using watercolor and ink, rendered with delicate, classicist strokes in plein-air. Editor: It has a wonderfully serene quality, doesn't it? The cool blues and greys create a sense of stillness. The scene is quiet; I am wondering what the day labourers are up to near the banks of the river. Curator: Well, consider the burgeoning landscape painting movement in late 18th century Europe. There was this growing fascination with portraying nature, but also imbuing landscapes with deeper cultural meanings. Editor: Absolutely. And what about the availability of materials at that time? Kraus uses watercolor and ink - common mediums then. The accessibility of these materials surely allowed for more widespread artistic production, especially for on-site sketches such as these. I wonder if the use of those coloured pencils tells us anything about this. Were they common, exclusive, what class might use them more freely? Curator: An astute observation! The move toward plein-air painting encouraged a more direct engagement with the environment. Patronage also played a critical role. Works such as these were purchased by wealthy elites and would travel with them back to urban environments to remind them of rurality. Editor: Which also says much about the artist's potential relationship to that elite. There's almost an implication here that Kraus' work is inextricably tied to the tastes and demands of his patrons. We have a very small clue as to that labor from our location now inside the Stadel Museum and all of the trappings of those dynamics still echo in this space as well! Curator: It really makes you wonder who owned this piece and who viewed it, then! Thank you. Editor: Indeed. A good point on which to reflect.