Carl Blechen
German, 1798-1840
Ruins of a Castle
INV-1496
Carl Blechen
German, 1798-18401825/27
Ruins of a Castle
Carl Blechen German, 1798-1840 →lithographprint
Date
1825/27
Medium
Lithograph with olive-green tint stone, heightened with white gouache, on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 15.4 × 21.8 cm (6 1/8 × 8 5/8 in.); Sheet: 25.7 × 35 cm (10 1/8 × 13 13/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Dorothy Braude Edinburg to the Harry B. and Bessie K. Braude Memorial Collection
A former banker who trained at the Berlin Arts Academy, Carl Blechen also used his flair for the dramatic as a set designer for theatrical productions. Ruins of a Castle is among the three etchings and 14 lithographs produced by the artist featuring romantic subjects such as ruins, hermits, and pilgrims in darkly evocative landscapes. These works demonstrate the continuing influence on Blechen of Caspar David Friedrich, who staged the natural world as a form of religious allegory.
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