Predjama Castle in Krein, Twelve Hours from Trieste

Description

Karl Friedrich Schinkel composed this scene through precise penwork rather than with a lithographic crayon, the mark-making tool that predominated later in the century. In short staccato flicks and long, undulating strokes of lithographic ink, Schinkel’s technique here conveys the textures of trees, rock, and masonry. These fine details reflect the artist’s method of drafting outdoors, which is noted in the inscription at right beneath the image. The contrast between the dark fluidity of Schinkel’s lines and the warm tone of the paper captures the subtle but dramatic play of light and shadow across the medieval architecture and the rock faces of the mountain.

Predjama Castle in Krein, Twelve Hours from Trieste

Karl Friedrich Schinkel

1816

Accession Number

148276

Medium

Lithograph in black on tan wove paper

Dimensions

Image: 38.4 × 31.3 cm (15 1/8 × 12 3/8 in.); Sheet: 45.3 × 36 cm (17 7/8 × 14 3/16 in.)

Classification

lithograph

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Dorothy Braude Edinburg to the Harry B. and Bessie K. Braude Memorial Collection