A Shepherd and Muses by a Waterfall Gm-00050901

Christoph Henrich Kniep (German, 1748–1825) In this imaginary classical landscape, Christoph Heinrich Kniep conveyed nature's superhuman might as a huge waterfall dwarfing the antique figures relaxing below. Kniep enhanced the waterfall's visual impact by framing it with a shaded arch of massive boulders; his paper's immense size also emphasizes the cascade's force.

Kniep spent most of his life in Italy, where he was influenced by the sun-drenched, idealized classical landscapes of his French predecessor Claude Lorrain. Yet Kniep overlaid Claude's legacy with the late 1700s concept of the Sublime, whose purpose was to inspire a noble and lofty awe by depicting powerful natural phenomena.

Despite the drawing's large scale, Kniep rendered each element with a precision achieved, no doubt, by the "sharpening and resharpening of the best English pencils" that Johann Wolfgang von Goethe had noted during their trip to Italy together in 1787 and 1788. Many of the detailed sketches Kniep made during the trip were the basis for his later, more finished, imaginary landscapes such as this one. Kniep's intense fascination with the vegetation is indicative of German Neoclassicists' burgeoning scientific interests.

High Quality Wood Framed Print using museum quality paper and archival inks with a mat for a contemporary look. Comes with Acrylite glazing and hanging hardware. These are Made in USA or Europe depending upon your location.

Stretched Canvas is stretched over 1.25" thick pine bars and printed on heavy cotton poly matte finish canvas. Comes with mounting brackets. These are Made in USA or Europe depending upon your location.

Giclee Prints are printed on 250 gsm Matte Paper with the finest archival inks. Each print carries a white border around the perimeter. The listed size refers to the overall paper dimensions. The image is printed proportionally within this paper size and includes a small white border. These are Made in USA or Europe depending upon your location.

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Artwork in this collection is from The J. Paul Getty Museum. Reproduction rights are reserved by the copyright owner and used under license by Archivea.