OSWALD ACHENBACH

 

Post 197 -Gautam Shah 

 SUNDAY Feature on ART of Architecture

Oswald Achenbach (1827- 1905) was a German artist. He was known for his landscape paintings. Achenbach ’s portfolio consists of plein air studies for larger works. His favourite subjects were Italian lands, coasts and rural scenes. He idealized his scene with illumination and shadows. He stressed ‘the decisive role of light and dark for the arrangement of compositions. It was more critical than the decision of a subject’.

He began with muted colours rendered through textured brushwork, yet achieving the required tonal value. But over the years, he highlighted the tonal contrasts. He began to use pastel colours from 1880s, which added the contrasting whiteness compared with earlier use of reds and browns.

The texture was executed through brush strokes, nails and knife, Often the texture was for the tactile effect and with no concern for the subject matter. ‘He also exploited the texture of the canvas as a design element’. He also began to do away with detailed human figures.

Oswald was expected to offer completely executed ‘gallery ready’ works, but he preferred the raw capture. He also liked to work on the under-painting, and develop it further into a painting. This way of working offered some raw-freshness to his works, and chart a non-conformist style against the classicist interpretations.

In 1852, at the age of 25, the Art Academy in Amsterdam admitted him as a member. In 1863, Oswald Achenbach became the Professor of Landscape Painting at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf Art Academy.

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