Gazing into the Canal (1900's)

Fischer, August Johannes (1854 - 1921)

Gazing into the Canal

Oil on Canvas: 29" x 21"
Catalog# FISA-002

This scene of Hamburg shows the old, rural way of life. A woman is bent over a metal railing looking into the water. She appears tiny as she is set against a very large, f our-story building with stucco patches and wood, exterior decoration. The canal is coming down from under the bridge with a tree overhanging on the left. The light source is coming from behind the viewer to the right. A feeling of tranquility is felt as one imagines the life lead in these times.

Early 1900's

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.