This candlelit scene depicts an 18th century “Flute Concert at Sanssouci”. It’s a painting by Adolph von Menzel, showing Frederick II of Prussia, known to history as Frederick the Great, playing the flute in his music room at Sanssouci, accompanied by C. P. E. Bach on the harpsichord. As a musician, Frederick wrote 4 symphonies… Continue reading Frederick the Great playing the flute, accompanied by C. P. E. Bach
Caspar Friedrich is considered the most important German artist of his generation, best known for allegorical landscapes which typically feature contemplative figures silhouetted against night skies, morning mists, barren trees or Gothic ruins. His primary interest as an artist was the contemplation of nature and often set a human presence in diminished perspective amid expansive… Continue reading German Romantic Era of the early 19th century, as presented by Caspar Friedrich
This is an interesting and charming little painting by Adolph von Menzel and a somewhat unusual subject matter for Menzel. It caught my attention for those reasons but even more so when I saw its title, Blinde Kuh (Blind Cow). Blinde Kuh is a game, like Blind Man's Bluff, but it’s also a common German… Continue reading Beautiful girl purposely bumping into a knight in full armor…Blinde Kuh?
"Dinner at the Ball" captures a moment in time during the high point of peace and prosperity in the German Empire. It was 7 years after the German unification of 1871 and was the era of Kaiser Wilhelm I and his Chancellor Bismarck, who created a booming economy and a foreign policy that produced 43… Continue reading Most of Menzel’s paintings were quickly gathered up by museums and patrons in Germany
Try to imagine what it was like to be 6 years old and declared King of the Germans, a powerful medieval nation. This actually happened in 1056 in Aachen Cathedral, when Heinrich IV was crowned King of the Romans, the medieval official title for King of the Germans. If you think a 6 year old… Continue reading Heinrich was six years old when he was declared King of the Germans and Holy Roman Emperor in 1056…his drama was just beginning
The 1904 unveiling of the Wagner Memorial in Berlin’s Tiergarten Park was a major social event, interestingly thanks to the opera singer Ludwig Leichner, who donated the Memorial to the city of Berlin. The event was memorialized in a painting by the famous artist, Anton von Werner. He was commissioned to capture the unveiling ceremony,… Continue reading The Wagner Memorial in Berlin was donated by an Opera Singer in 1904
This finely detailed painting by Adolph von Menzel depicts the 1861 Coronation of King Wilhelm I of Prussia. This ceremony took place in the 600-year-old historic Königsberg Castle in East Prussia. Only a short 10 years later, this King of Prussia will successfully re-unite most of the states of the former German Holy Roman Empire...… Continue reading Pomp and ceremony in the 600 year old Königsberg Castle
This image dates back to 1811 and is entitled “Winterlandschaft” (Winter Landscape), by Romantic Era painter Caspar David Friedrich. The painting contains details that are hard to see unless you are looking at the actual print or click on it to see a large version. In the foreground a crippled man has abandoned his crutches… Continue reading “Winterlandschaft” (Winter Landscape), by Romantic Era painter Caspar David Friedrich.
This is a scene of a long gone winter, observed from the top of a hill in Meissen, Germany. The painting seems to pull you into a past that you never knew, yet it feels as though you are there, on top of the hill. Painted in 1859, it depicts a snowy early evening scene… Continue reading A long gone winter, observed from the top of a hill in Meissen, Germany
A beautiful blustery winter scene, by Ernst Oehme "Cathedral in Winter,1821"... look forward through the massive arches... you can see an imposing church structure, given scale by how small the monks appear as they walk toward the warm glow of the windows and doorway. Blowing snow slightly obscures the view, but you can see other… Continue reading By Ernst Oehme “Cathedral in Winter,1821”
For People Proud of their German Heritage 