A former banker who trained at the Berlin Arts Academy, Carl Blechen also used his flair for the dramatic as a set designer for theatrical productions. Ruins of a Castle is among the three etchings and 14 lithographs produced by the artist featuring romantic subjects such as ruins, hermits, and pilgrims in darkly evocative landscapes. These works demonstrate the continuing influence on Blechen of Caspar David Friedrich, who staged the natural world as a form of religious allegory.