Snowy Forest

Andreas Achenbach transports us into a remote, snowy forest clearing. Possibly, this is part of a record made of his impressions of a trip to Denmark and Sweden in 1835, but the watercolour goes beyond being a study of nature. With a certain defiance, the young tree in the front right (embodying the hope in the rejuvenation of nature) opposes the mighty rune stone. In the Romantic tradition all-covering snow and the solitary memorial stone that towers up represent transience and the relationship between man and nature, civilization and time. The key element of the piece is Achenbach’s restrained use of colour, oscillating between green, a soft greenish blue and the bright beige of the card. He carefully describes how snow seizes hold of everything. Individual pointing up in white on leaves and stones creates a masterful painterly irritation. Instead of infusing such a place with the sombre mood one might expect, Achenbach succeeds in creating an almost dreamy, entranced scene. (Frank Schmidt)