Inspiring Image: Across the Moorland by Bracht

Inspiring Image: 'Across the Moorland'

'Across the Moorland' (1890) | Eugen Bracht | oil on canvas

 Artist Website: http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/list.php?m=a&s=du&aid

Eugen Bracht (1842-1921) was a German landscape painter who traveled extensively throughout Europe and the Middle East for his subject matter.  He was best known for his depictions of the Alps, the desert, and the burgeoning industrialization happening in Europe at the end of the 19^th century.

In his painting “Across the Moorland”, Bracht has romanticized the steam engine which he relied upon for his travels to distant lands.  He has captured the fairly unexceptional landscape beautifully, enhanced by the heavy, dramatic sky and mood lighting.  The train, despite being rather small in the painting, is made the focal point by the contrast of the black engine next to white steam.