In the Alpine High Valley (Landscape with Mt. Wendelstein)

The theme of a dairymaid walking through a high valley became a central subject of Spitzweg’s mature period. For many years, he had been considered a harmless witty portrayer of familiar petty-bourgeois idylls. By contrast, the mountain landscape shows anything but the world of comfortable Biedermeier interiors and instead captures the sublimeness of Alpine nature. Compared to the sheer face of the cliffs in the shady valley in the High Alps, man appears minute and of no importance. The representation, which exists in several small versions and in later copies, focuses not on unity with nature but on a realistic appraisal of the threat to humans. Given the sublime, and the format (unusual for Spitzweg), the painting is regarded as “one of Spitzweg’s greatest”. Moreover, the artist also shows painterly expertise in his treatment of the moody light and weather as well as the coarse cliffs, presenting them with subtle hues and perfect brushwork. (Bettina Baumgärtel)