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Oil on Canvas: 29" x 21" |
| This scene of Hamburg shows the old, rural way of life. A woman is bent over the water washing her laundry. Across the water we see linens hanging out to dry from an earlier wash. The buildings are large and linear, bringing the eye further into the painting. The water ripples, yet it is still reflective of the bordering structures. The artist has used quick strokes, texturing the water, the hanging bucket on the left in the foreground, the trees, and the dirt on the shore. |
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Born in Denmark, August Fischer studied painting and drawing at the Royal Academy of Copenhagen. He first exhibited his watercolors and paintings there in 1876 and shortly thereafter began to travel throughout Europe, particularly to Italy, Germany and Austria. Fischer eventually settled in Vienna (c. 1885) and became most highly regarded for his watercolors of landscapes, genre scenes and botanical studies. In this latter category, Fischer was commissioned for both still life scenes and for the more scientific field of botanical illustration. 'Linaria' is a fine example of this artist's work in the area of botanical illustration. For 'Linaria', Fischer actually depicted two plants of the same species -- one in full flower and the other bearing its late summer seeds. True to his well known artistic gifts, Fischer chose to entwine the plants, thus fulfilling both the elements of design and the accuracy of scientific observation. Studies such as this show Fischer's artistry as surely as any of his landscapes or other works of art. |
