Blick vom Gebirge auf ein Flußtal in Spanien 

Karl Peter Burnitz captured this watercolour view of a Spanish river valley during his travels across Europe in the mid-19th century. During this period, Spain, with its rich history marked by the intermingling of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim cultures, became an intriguing destination for European artists. Burnitz, like many of his contemporaries, was drawn to the picturesque landscapes and the remnants of Spain’s complex past. The Iberian Peninsula signified a space where Europe met Africa, where notions of the exotic and the familiar intertwined. This work reflects a common 19th-century European artistic interest in depicting regions outside of their own, often romanticizing these areas through a lens that highlighted the ‘picturesque’ or ‘exotic.’ Burnitz's watercolor invites us to consider how landscapes can embody cultural histories and how our perceptions of places are shaped by the stories we tell about them.