Adolf STADEMANN (1824-1895), Riverside Landscape, 1886

oil, canvas; 120 x 171 cm;
Signed and dated l. d.: Adolf Stademan 1886
Representative of the Munich school of the 2nd half of the 20th century. Author of nocturnes, lunar landscapes, images of winter mornings and genre scenes - such as children's winter games. Adolf Stademann's compositions are reminiscent of the tradition of Dutch painting, especially the subject matter and manner of depiction coinciding with the work of Pieter Bruegel the Elder (cf. Hunters in the Snow - Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Census of Bethlehem - Royal Museums of Fine Arts, Brussels) and Dutch landscape painting of the 17th century.
The presented Riverside Landscape, dating from 1886, is a combination of the two aforementioned inspirations, which, as seen by Adolf Stademann, gives a unique and representative characterization of his work and painting artistry, where the delicately impressionistic way of laying down paint, combined with the traditional, seemingly carefree subject matter, depicting playing on a slide, contrasts with the depiction of poor figures laden with sacks of brushwood, heading towards a wooden house. The mood of the composition is also emphasized by the soft winter light breaking through the overcast sky.