Lot 1550 Dα

The landscape surroundings of the Gerbermühle near Frankfurt inspired Hans Thoma to several works in the 1890s. The two peculiar trees in the foreground of this work can be found in several other paintings by the artist, including “In the Sunshine”, “Summer Loneliness” and “Loneliness” (see illus. in: Thode op. cit., p. 323, 452 & 464). Thoma populates his flat Main river landscapes with diverse figures and fauna: In the present work, we see a man on horseback on the opposite side of the river and a lively flock of geese in the foreground. The composition is characterised by the strongly accentuated horizontal and vertical elements, as well as the distant horizon and tastefully arranged cloud formations inspired by 17th century Dutch landscape painting.