(Dusseldorf 1827-1905)
Village street at sunset, signed, dated Osw. Achenbach 1894, oil on canvas, 70 x 100 cm, framed

After starting at the Düsseldorf Art Academy at a young age, German painter Oswald Achenbach (1872-1905) rapidly became a prominent figure among landscape painters across Europe. Along with his brother Andreas, the Achenbach brothers became known as the ‘Alpha and Omega of Landscape painting’. Oswald worked at a time where art was entirely academic and would be exhibited only if it fulfilled specific criteria, however he became an early member of the Düsseldorf Association, one which opposed the Academy and its rigid rules. Despite this, Oswald achieved recognition internationally, receiving various honours such as the Order of Guadalupe or the Knight’s Cross, as well as later becoming a member of the Art Academy in Amsterdam and professor for Landscape painting at the Kunst Akademie in Düsseldorf.

Achenbach travelled frequently during his career, most notably to Italy, where many of his landscapes come from. He often painted outdoors, focusing on the distribution of light and shadow by layering paint in different thicknesses. Contrarily to his brother Andreas, who focused on painting agitated and dramatic landscapes, Oswald preferred southern scenes of more lasting continuity.