St Nicholas Church in Badgastein
Emil Ludwig Löhr (1809 - 1876)
Framesize 56.00 x 44.30 x 4.70 cm
Hitherto known as "Old Church in Gastein", the painting shows "St Nicholas Church in Badgastein". The Gasteiner Ache flows through the valley. On the opposite side rises the Gamskarkogel, regarded as the highest grass mountain in Europe, its peak accentuated by a snowfield. The treatment of light and shade is effective. Behind the shady foreground, St Nicholas Church stands in the sunlight, providing a contrast to the mountain, which is mostly in shadow, apart from the upper reaches in hazy sunlight. Staffage figures dressed in traditional costume enliven the landscape. A little girl holding her mother’s hand approaches the viewer on a path leading out of the picture. Between the wooden fence and the cemetery wall, a group is haymaking.
Löhr’s evocative rendering, in true Romantic style, emphasises the appeal of the Alpine landscape.
Ducke Astrid: Emil Ludwig Löhr, St Nicolas Church in Badgastein. In: Ducke Astrid, Habersatter Thomas (Hg./Ed.): Stadt - Land - Berg. Salzburg und seine Umgebung. Town - Landscape - Mountain. Salzburg and surroundings. Residenzgalerie Salzburg. Salzburg 2022, p. 128, illus. p. 129