Alexander Herrmann, *by The Fountain* – Italian Peasants Doing Laundry In The Garden

Alexander Herrmann (1814–1845)

At the Fountain – Italian Peasants Doing Laundry in the Garden of an Abandoned Monastery

Oil on canvas, 103 cm x 136 cm. Signed and dated lower left: “AHerrmann” (linked monogram); “1841.” On the reverse: two labels on the stretcher bearing the same handwritten inscription: “H. Haake; Bal(?)i W.30; Bayreutherstr. 11.” Restored frame.

Professor Börsch-Supan attributes this charming composition to the German architectural and landscape painter Alexander Herrmann. It depicts a group of Italian peasants doing their laundry in the garden of a monastery that surrounds them. In addition to the cloister and a small chapel, the magnificent main nave stands on the left side of the composition. Behind the architecture, picturesquely overgrown with trees and agaves, a mountainous backdrop looms beneath the brilliant blue of a southern sky. This monumental Gothic complex offers a striking contrast to the idyllic family scene unfolding near the fountain. The composition reflects the Romantic dream of a peaceful rural utopia, where nature reclaims an architectural complex overgrown with vegetation. As an architectural draftsman, the artist brilliantly captured the spatial complexity of this sumptuous monastery. Herrmann renders the architectural details with great finesse. According to Professor Bösch-Supan, this is an imaginary scene with no specific real-life model. The Italian influence on this Glauchau-born artist is evident. After studying at the School of Architecture at the Dresden Academy under Joseph Türmer and Gottfried Semper, Herrmann moved to Rome in 1839; where he would reside until the end of his life. We extend our warmest thanks to Professor Helmut Bösch-Supan for his scholarly guidance.