Forest Stream

Forest Stream appears in the literature under a further title: Waldbach Strub bei Hallstatt [forest stream gorge near Hallstatt].
From 1830, Fischbach spent his summers in the Salzkammergut, and painted this stream several times – as shown by Waldbachstrub, illustration 32 in the book Malerische Ansichten von Salzburg und Ober-Oesterreich nach der Natur gezeichnet von Jahnn Fischbach und von mehreren Künstlern in Stahl gestochen [picturesque views of Salzburg and Upper Austria drawn from nature by Johann Fischbach and steel-engraved by several artists].
This stream, “Waldbach Strubb” (spelt variously in the literature), was a popular motif for artists of that period. Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller (1793-1865) was among its best-known painters. Between 1831 and 1842, he made several paintings of this motif, in portrait and landscape format.
Fischbach focuses on the careful rendering of a section of the landscape. His choice of portrait format is ideal for depicting the lofty rock-face. Its rugged surface is painted in subtle shades of grey and brown, conveying almost tangibly the roughness of the stone. The clear water of the mountain stream gushes over the larger stones in the river bed, leaving only the foaming spray, which shows Fischbach’s masterly treatment of light.

Translated catalogue text from:
DUCKE Astrid: Fischbach Johann, Waldbach / Kat.-Nr. 13, in: OEHRING Erika (Hrsg.): Alpen. Sehnsuchtsort & Bühne. Salzburg 2011, S. 160

Translation: Gail Schamberger MA, Salzburg