Ideallandschaft mit Wasserfall und einer Viehherde mit zwei Hirten 

Franz Kobell created this "Ideal Landscape with Waterfall and a Herd of Cattle with Two Herdsmen" using pen and black ink and grey wash. Dominating this work is the contrast between the rough textures of the natural elements – the craggy rocks, the cascading waterfall, and the lush trees – and the smooth, almost ethereal quality of the sky. Kobell uses monochromatic shades to create depth and atmosphere. The overall composition invites us into a world that feels both familiar and idealized. Note how the artist employs a visual semiotics of nature, where elements like water and rock are not just physical entities but also signs that convey ideas about the sublime and our relationship to the natural world. Kobell destabilizes the traditional landscape by subtly questioning the boundary between the real and the ideal. The dynamic between the detailed foreground and the hazy background serves not only to frame the scene, but to encourage a rethinking of landscape and perception.