Gewässer mit Anglern und einer Wäscherin, im Hintergrund ein Gebirge 

Editor: Here we have Franz Kobell's ink drawing, "Gewässer mit Anglern und einer Wäscherin, im Hintergrund ein Gebirge," housed in the Städel Museum. It looks like an eighteenth-century landscape. The mountains in the background appear very faint, almost blending into the sky. What are your initial thoughts when you view this drawing? Curator: The composition intrigues me. Observe how Kobell meticulously constructs the scene using hatching and cross-hatching. Notice, too, the spatial arrangement, that establishes depth. What is your interpretation of how Kobell uses light in the drawing? Editor: I see what you mean about the depth and that Kobell uses different strokes and patterns. But it appears that Kobell barely uses any lighting here. Are the many parallel strokes part of his lighting to establish value and depth? Curator: Precisely. The density and direction of these lines create a sense of volume and shadow. Consider also the positioning of figures in relation to the landscape. Note that the vertical and horizontal elements of nature guide the eye, offering structure. How does this order contrast with the seemingly free, casual groupings of people? Editor: Good question! It’s not necessarily symmetrical or even balanced, but there are repeated, careful vertical lines such as on the side of the waterfall, so perhaps that's part of how Kobell unifies the figures into his work? It gives order to his free, casual composition. Curator: It is precisely this balance that draws my eye, these careful vertical elements repeated throughout the scene. The very act of analyzing form has enriched our reading. Editor: Yes, focusing on the materiality of the ink lines helps understand how seemingly different subjects – the figures and mountains, for instance – connect into one pictorial plane.