Georg Haeselich - Elbstrand - c.1836

 

The oil study depicts the Elbe River beach in Wittenbergen near Hamburg, which was likely created shortly after Haeselich's return from Munich in 1836. Like his Hamburg artist colleagues Jacob Gensler and Hermann Kauffmann, Haeselich frequently settled on the Elbe to paint directly from nature.

For this seemingly spontaneous oil sketch, Haeselich used warm yellow and brown tones that closely resemble the natural color scheme of the Elbe landscape. The sandy beach occupies the entire foreground and leads the viewer's gaze across the almost deserted bay, giving the study an impression of unspoiled vastness. A few figures enliven the tranquil river landscape. On the horizon, the opposite side of the Elbe is blurred against the overcast sky, which appears in a shimmering, pale pink light and captures the mood of a late afternoon hour.

Haeselich focused solely on the atmospheric depiction of the scene here and emphasized the play of light on the riverbank caused by the time of day.

 Source: Hamburger Kunsthalle