Waldbestandene Landschaft mit See und Angler 

Franz Kobell rendered this landscape with lake and angler in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century, using pen and brown ink on paper. The way Kobell has built up the image is remarkable. He has used the pen to create areas of shading, giving a sense of depth and atmosphere. The repetitive nature of the marks, the cross-hatching and layering, speaks to a diligent process. It's all about the artist’s hand and eye, trained to capture the subtleties of light and shadow through controlled, repetitive strokes. Consider the social context here: landscape imagery like this was becoming increasingly popular at this time, coinciding with the rise of a merchant class who had the means and leisure to appreciate these images. Unlike a painting, a drawing such as this is relatively immediate, and has a somewhat intimate quality. In summary, the beauty of this artwork is rooted in the meticulous, handmade process, revealing connections between art, leisure, and the changing social landscape of its time.