Storm 1727 - 1774

Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich painted this small oil on canvas, Storm, sometime in the 1700s. Working at a time when industrialization was beginning to transform Europe, Dietrich harkens back to older traditions of landscape painting. He uses thin layers of paint to create a dramatic scene, full of dark and foreboding imagery; a medieval castle on a crag, a settlement consumed by fire. All touched by flashes of lightning. The painting's surface is smooth, almost polished, attesting to the artist’s mastery and control of his medium. Yet, despite this level of refinement, it is hard to ignore the social realities of the time. While Dietrich expertly manipulated oil paints, the turbulent world outside his studio was defined by labor, class, and consumption. By considering the materials and processes used in its making, we can better understand the full significance of Dietrich's atmospheric work, and perhaps question the boundary between craft and fine art itself.