Raden Saleh - Winterlandschaft bei Maxen - 1848

    

Urged by the Dutch colonial authorities, Raden Saleh traveled from West Java, today's Indonesia, to The Hague to study at the art academy, thus arriving in Europe. With his life between Southeast Asia and Europe, caught in the conflict between colonial oppression and artistic freedom, Raden Saleh is a central figure in current debates on global art history and the consequences of colonialism. The loan from private ownership now supplements further winter landscapes from this period at the Albertinum, such as those by Caspar David Friedrich (1774–1840) and Johan Christian Dahl (1788–1857).

It is scarcely known in Germany that there is an Indonesian artist in the context of Dresden Romanticism. In his homeland, however, Raden Saleh is a famous historical figure. Guests from Indonesia have so far searched in vain for traces of their eminent compatriot in Dresden. Yet, in the few years of his stay on the Elbe (1839–1844 and 1847/48 and 1848/49), his major artistic works were created: paintings depicting hunting scenes where riders in oriental garments pursue lions, tigers, or buffalo. Only in Maxen, fifteen kilometers from Dresden, has there been a long-standing engagement with the artist. A pavilion in Indonesian style, the so-called 'Blaues Häusel' (Blue Cottage), co-designed by Saleh, commemorates his stay with the Serre family, among his key supporters in Dresden.

Contrary to his dynamically animated depictions of animals, for which Saleh is primarily known, the loan is an unusual representation for the artist, featuring the quiet, snow-covered slopes near Maxen. The painting likely dates back to Saleh's stay there in 1848: The artist last visited the Serre family several months earlier in 1847/48 from Paris. In the winter of 1848/49, he undertakes the not-so-easy journey once again. At this time, all of Europe is engulfed in revolution, including Dresden. The Serre family retreats to their estate near Maxen, offering refuge to Raden Saleh and other befriended artists such as Clara and Robert Schumann amidst the turmoil."

Source: Albertinum + Albertinum Press