By the Water, c. 1880

Rudolf Ribarz’s (1848–1904) painting By the Water is characterized by an atmosphere of quietude. Across a calm water surface, the artist guides the gaze to a farmstead as well as high willow trees and poplars that close off the scenery and are reflected in the water. The artist depicts the motifs in color areas set off against each other in autumnal brown, green, ocher, and blue-gray. In conjunction with the glaze-like and smooth application of colors, the impression of a landscape steeped in a hazy atmosphere and poetry is created. Contrasting this are the shimmering luminous reflexes on the water surface, captured by delicate, distinctly graphic white highlights. This interplay of graphic and painterly effects, which is so characteristic for Ribarz, is also evident in the dark lines of the branches and tree trunks.

AGW, 2021