The increasing prosperity and national arrogance of European imperialism in the second half of the 19th century was reflected in a growing need for appropriate forms of representation. Painting also sought formats that were impressive in their size and whose motifs went beyond the scope.
The topoi of Romantic painting, in the sense of idealised landscapes, were transformed into the monumental and popularised. In the history of visual media, these monumental paintings mark the transition from panel painting to panorama and later to cinema.
The Albertinum has a collection of large, impressive landscape paintings. Most of them have not been shown for a long time, not only because their subject matter is not very modern, but also because their size alone poses a challenge in the context of the collection's presentation.
Some of these paintings have been restored in recent years, including Carl Friedrich Lessing's “Mountain Landscape”, and others have been specially examined and prepared for this new presentation. As ideal landscapes, the paintings invite you to immerse yourself in their depth and vast spaces.
The restoration of the historic splendor frame of Lessing's "Mountain Landscape" was sponsored by the Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung.
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