Achenbach's Snowy Forest

Andreas Achenbach (German, 1815 - 1910) painted this watercolor of a rune stone in a clearing of a northern pine forest in winter. 

Andreas Achenbach, Snowy Forest, watercolor, 1835, 

Google Art Project, Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf

Stones with carved runes date back to the times of the ancient shamans in Germany. 

According to Google Art project, the painting is huge: 14 x 20 feet (625cm x 423 cm). If that's true, perhaps it's not surprising, as the Düsseldorf painters often painted theatrical backdrops. 

The painting evokes romantic associations of the human touch in the wilds of nature.

Here's a detail showing a fallen tree and a young sapling. The original painting has a subtle balance of warm and cool colors and there are touches of opaque white gouache on the tips of the branches.

Wilhelm von Abbema, German, 1812 - 1889, based on the original 

by Andreas Achenbach. Published by Julius Buddeus, Düsseldorf.

Philadelphia Museum, Plate: 20 7/8 x 28 5/8 inches (53.1 x 72.7 cm) 

Sheet: 23 7/16 x 30 7/8 inches (59.6 x 78.5

The painting was made into an etching by Wilhelm von Abbema. 

Book:

Landscapes by Andreas Achenbach / Fritz von Wille