Constantinople. Golden Horn, 1911

The painter Oskar Laske (1874–1951) derived most of his inspiration from his travels. Almost every year, he embarked on extended tours through all of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Before the outbreak of World War I, in 1911, Laske visited Greece and Turkey, where he captured this harbor scene on the Golden Horn. From an elevated vantage point, the artist painted a spacious square filled with a large crowd. The figures appear only as outlines. Behind the masts of the ships, we see the view of Istanbul with its mosques and minarets losing themselves in the hazy distance. By means of loose brushstrokes and watery glazing, Laske managed to capture the scene’s spatiality and atmosphere with sublime skill.

AK, 2021