Edmund Hottenroth - Albanergebirge bei Rom (around 1850)

 

Source: Albertinum

(Blasewitz/Dresden 1804-1889 Rome) 

The elevated social circles of the Eternal City, as well as artists and travelers of the 19th century, valued the Alban Hills near Rome as a destination. Especially during the hot summer months, people retreated to cooler elevations, and the captivating landscape with its centuries-old mountain villages and monasteries inspired enthusiasm.

Numerous oil studies by Edmund Hottenroth attest to his particular interest in this region. In his sketches created directly in nature, he precisely captured the topographical conditions and studied the southern light. The Dresden painter was influenced by the French artists residing in Rome and their plein air painting. This is especially evident in terms of color application and the use of earthy tones. Hottenroth transformed an oil study of Lake Albano with a view of Monte Cavo into a carefully composed studio painting, depicting a summer day at the lake. In addition to the study, he added a section of the path around the lake in the foreground of the painting, lined with rocks, trees, and shrubs. This is populated by locals in Albanian attire and monks.

The writer Wilhelm Waiblinger described the view from a seemingly similar vantage point in 1840: "[...] the entire lake in the green depth, the round, deep blue, barely moving mirror, as in a cauldron of laughing woods [...] - rising from it, the highest peak of the Alban Hills, Monte Cavo, [in the middle] the Palazzuolo Monastery, lonely and yet infinitely charming as it looks down from the dark green of the Cavo into the lake - from there, further down, the high ridge to the rugged rock where Rocca di Papa hangs."

Source: 9783954982684