“Street in Godramstein”
We often talk about Impressionists, but not often of the German Impressionists. Today, I am remedying that…
“Street in Godramstein” is an oil on canvas painting by the German Impressionism artist, Max Slevogt, from 1909. In this piece, Slevogt depicts the curve in a tree-lined road on a bright summer day. The silhouettes of pedestrians are seen dotting the walkway.
Between 1909 and 1913, Slevogt spent his summers at his wife’s family’s country home in Godramstein. Godramstein is a district in the city of Landau in southwestern Germany, along the Queich River. Slevogt created many works of art while in Godramstein, giving the name to that period of his art, the “Godramstein Period”.
Inspired by the work of the French Impressionists, particularly Édouard Manet, Slevogt started working with light and color and how the interplay between them would influence his overall pieces. Slevogt’s color palette lightened, and his brush strokes grew looser. He also began using the pastose technique, applying paint thickly onto the canvas, oftentimes by palette knife alone.
“Street in Godramstein” is currently in a private collection.
For more on Max Slevogt, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
