Gebirgslandschaft mit Felsen und Gebüsch 

This is Franz Kobell’s “Mountainous Landscape with Rocks and Shrubs” housed here at the Städel Museum. Made without a specific date, it stands as a testament to the evolving cultural perceptions of nature during Kobell’s lifetime. Born in 1749, Kobell lived through the Enlightenment. This was a period that saw the rise of science and reason, and an increasing interest in understanding and classifying the natural world. Yet, as we can see here, nature was not merely an object of scientific inquiry, but also a source of aesthetic and emotional experience. Kobell’s choice to depict a landscape devoid of human presence invites viewers into a space of contemplation, where the self is measured against the grandeur and indifference of nature. The sepia tones evoke a sense of timelessness. While romanticizing nature, it subtly critiques the burgeoning industrialization that threatened to encroach upon these spaces. Kobell's landscape then, is not just a scene, but an assertion of value, a quiet act of preservation.