Jakob Becker
A Odenthal Peasant Couple returning from the Fair
Oil on canvas. 38 x 30 cm.
Signed and dated lower right: J. Becker 1839.
The present work is among the rural genre scenes that Jacob Becker started to paint in the mid-1830s, inspired by Adolf Schroedter and Rudolf Jordan of the Düsseldorf School. Jacob Becker moved from Frankfurt to Düsseldorf in 1833, where he entered the academy. This was the first step in a highly successful career as an artist. Becker's depictions of country life tended to be elevated and dramatic. Two characteristic examples of this are his works “Homecoming of the Reaper” (Lempertz auction 957, 16.5.2008, lot 1912) and “The Storm” (Lempertz auction 920, 14.5.2010, lot 1364). The present work exudes a sense of joviality. It depicts a young couple in the traditional costume of the Odenthal region on their way home from the fair. The smiling young man, obviously slightly tipsy, has to be pulled homewards by his female companion.
Literature
Museumsgesellschaft Kronberg (ed.): Jakob Becker: Der Lehrer der Kronberger Maler. Frankfurt/Main 1991, p. 24 illus. - Museum Giersch: „Bilder aus dem Leben - Genremalerei im Rhein-Main-Gebiet. Frankfurt 2004, p. 102, no. 24.
Exhibitions
„Bilder aus dem Leben“, Museum Giersch, Frankfurt 2004, no. 24.