Oaks in the mountains of Carrara 1868

Nikolai Ge painted "Oaks in the mountains of Carrara," a landscape, in oils. This work brings to mind the 19th century tension between the idealizing traditions of landscape and a growing interest in the depiction of objective reality. Ge was a Russian artist who spent time in Italy in the 1860s. The marble quarries of Carrara were famous, and this site represented a point of intersection between the natural world and the rise of industrial capitalism. Here, Ge uses loose brushwork to create an atmospheric effect. The soft light, muted colors, and hazy mountains could be seen to align this painting with Romanticism. Yet, it departs from the drama of Romanticism in favor of a more restrained approach. Paintings like this require art historians to research the institutional and economic conditions of art production. This allows a richer understanding of the cultural values at play during the time it was made.