View of the town of Olevano (Rome Province, Italy) with Rainbow

For almost the entire span of the several decades he lived in Rome, Joseph Anton Koch devoted his work to the theme of Olevano, a picturesque town in the mountains whose artistic potential he was the first to recognize upon visiting in 1804. It was during the latter stage of developing the theme that he set about creating this painting, adopting an elevated vantage point that allows the subject to emerge with stylized vividness and clarity. Koch had previously made studies of nature from the same location, a residence known as the Casa Baldi favoured by visiting German artists, successfully incorporating his various impressions into a single composition. The groups of figures in the foreground, the trees to the side of the picture, the rainbow spanning the entire scene (in conjunction with the composition of the clouds) all contribute to the aesthetic quality and overall emotional impact of the picture.