My Appendix Is Swollen

Venice in German painting of the 19th Century.

29th January 2011, Neue Zürcher Zeitung

a little pleasure in the destruction

capital of the lunatic - an exhibition in Karlsruhe gathered Venice pictures of the German art of the 19. Century

After the French occupation of Venice was not, as yet in the 18 Century, the central festival square in Europe. Then came the formation of travelers who are citizens and booksellers in the impoverished city on the lagoon and them - mostly academic - art from the German speaking countries.

By Manfred Schwarz

The last carnival was said to be let out of range. The extravagant and also the longest. In Venice, they wanted to stop then obviously no longer with the celebration, as if one had suspected that the next, the civil, under foreign domination times would never be as sweet as those who now finally died away. In any event, marched in the spring of 1797, the French revolutionary troops in a city that could not defend altogether: as they celebrated Mardi Gras fun. The rapidly conquered Venetians wore suits instead of uniforms. In any case, the ornamental sword was the only weapon to be understood here. On the seal ring of the last doge, who signed the capitulation of course ado, two billing in pigeons could be seen. The big carnival noise was now first, and for a long time past: the whole carefree uninhibited, fast-frivolous goings, the Venice had made in the Rococo a mad house of Europe, to a hilarious, highly destructive theme park for Russian princes, English gentlemen and French libertine. But now, after the Congress of Vienna the Austrians ruled here, and living in Venice lost its sweetness rapidly. For fear of debauchery, in disinhibition, possibly before uprising, they had cut back even the legendary carnaval parade in Venice dramatically. The masquerade liked not at all the authorities.

The very attractive, especially structured and annotated exhibition of the Municipal Gallery of Karlsruhe, one is therefore rarely depictions of the legendary Venetian carnival see (which is get over, however well ). Among the approximately one hundred and fifty Venice images of German-speaking artists of the 19th Century, are here for the first time ever assembled, by Anselm Feuerbach, Max Liebermann, Carl Werner, Anton Romako to Gustav Schoenleber and Louis Kollitz, they rarely move into view: They are not easy. The Carnival was not an issue for the painters who travel to Venice now. At best picks he was on the historical background, and that's significant: The fact that now even in Venice, where it was before life much too fast to even just to pause, looking especially memories of bygone days and be enjoyed nostalgic. The fact that we now look into the history books, rather than to the coiffures, the neckline of the ladies.

After the big rush

But now it was just the big carnival noise over, and only gradually is forming - just the way during that period, which is dedicated to the exhibition - the modern, onto picturesque morbid and gently frivolous, the beauty of decay targeting iconography of the tourist area in Venice, at the end of the mask, the carnival costume will be one, like the pigeons in St. Mark's Square, but also the amazing lightness of being out of the Venetian Rococo. In Karlsruhe can be not only a hitherto little noticed chapter fathom depth from the art history of Venice as the German-speaking countries - which painters from across the mountains at that time here at work and the nature of the eyes were, they addressed it in this Neptunian city. At the same time to follow here, as in the course of the 19 Century, those initially quite beautiful, but then increasingly decaying corpse, the Venice of the end of the republic and the fall of the Ancien Régime represented after all, little by little in an iconic longing of industrialized modernity, transformed into a mecca for educated citizens and nostalgic, in a "hip bath for lovers," was how once quipped. As ruined the hard place of once a monument is a memorial. A hollow backdrop. capitulate

While some painters, such as Friedrich Nerly especially follow initially happy the perspectives of Canaletto and Guardi, other, Carl Schuch around, before the crippling dominance of the canonical motifs or ignore them such as Max Liebermann and let their eyes rather perplexed, rather aimlessly through narrow, but not necessarily typical streets, wander through backyards or places that might be found in Bergamo and Naples. While artists such as Ludwig von Hagn or Emanuel Leutze, Makart or Anton understand by Werner, the city as a stage where they can with Titian, Giorgione or Aretino occur heroes long since faded times as naturally as they would still live here, just around the corner, the famous Ludwig Dill paints in his acclaimed masterpiece of 1883 a "Venice Canal" as "contemporary history": The scene of everyday work, the highest this side of filth, without a chic, beauty spots and romantic gondola. As a city like any other fast. Only at the end of the 19th Century, Louis Kollitz finally the Piazza San Marco so ago, as it will still see all the tourists, when he could not do otherwise be: with a few fashionable ladies in graceful attitude, and very, very many pigeons.

from a sunken World

The late romantic or Biedermeier, timid timid yet realistic or impressionistic colored paintings of the exhibition, which normally are hardly ever seen gets and the more curious, more pleased discovered here, as usually coyly hidden curiosities from the sunken world of academic painting, let us also follow this process of transformation particularly intimate. We know the Venice of the 19th Century so far from the literature of that period - from Lord Byron to Thomas Mann - and the great art history. In Basel last was about the masterful images of Venice Formidable see the genius and exceptional players, from Turner to Monet, Renoir to Whistler. But here we come much closer to what's happening on the ground because most of the paintings were created for the Venetian art market, for local clients or as a gift for the traveler. For the more or less sentimental use.

Also, the works in the exhibition were mostly painters not only as volatile Tourists in Venice, for a brief foray to the eyes, but usually for a long time. Some came here regularly, others lived here many years and were the same as the famous Friedrich Nerly, the central figure of the show, her beautiful shimmering golden thread to hang forever. The painter wanted to Erfurt in 1837 actually represents only a short trip to Venice and then until his death in 1878, never went away. He has devoted his entire life to the Venice-image, and he did not last through a classic, enriched his success motive, which he repeated dozens of times and varied: the night Venice by moonlight, by the in Karlsruhe some masterful depictions can be seen. Bustle, vice, debauchery, of course, entirely absent here. For the Golden Age of Venice, the silk was long since over. In Nerlys Venetian nights the moon provides the only spectacle. This may not be very glamorous. But after all, but very romantic.

Venice pictures in the German art of the 19th Century. Städtische Galerie Karlsruhe. To 6 March 2011. Subsequently, in the Municipal Gallery of Paderborn. Catalog € 24.80.