A Mountain Torrent

Johann Wilhelm Lindlar (1816-1896) was born in Bergisch Gladbach, near Köln and became a pupil of Johann Wilhelm Schirmer (1807-1863) at the Düsseldorf Kunstakademie between 1845 and 1848. He settled in Düsseldorf and made several trips to the Alps. From 1867-71, he was appointed director of the Art Association for the Rhineland and Westphalia.

This painting is a fine example of the Late Romantic aesthetic developed in German art in the second half of the 19th century. The subject matter, a torrent in the Alps, high degree of finish and subdued palette dominated by grey and ochre pigments are characteristic of the German artists who emulated the art of Caspar David Friedrich and Johann Christian Dahl.