Carl Hasenpflug (1802–1858) was a German artist who specialized in

landscape painting Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a coherent compo ...

, primarily the rendering of architecture.

Biography

Born in Berlin, Hasenpflug was first apprenticed as a shoemaker to his father, then to the decorative painter Carl Gropius. By 1822 he had become known as a painter of architectural subjects, with particular focus on the representation of

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

German churches, in which architectural details were first drawn in pen, then glazed over with

oil paint Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as turpentine or white spirit, and ...

. Favorite subjects included the cathedrals of

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river. Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebu ...

and

Halberstadt Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bomb ...

, where he lived from 1828. After 1838 Hasenpflug concentrated on paintings of snow-covered ruins that combined factual observation with fantasy. "Snowdrifts in the Cloister of the

Halberstadt Cathedral The Halberstadt Cathedral or Church of St Stephen and St Sixtus (german: Dom zu Halberstadt) is a Gothic church in Halberstadt in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was the episcopal see of the Bishopric of Halberstadt, established by Emperor Charlemagne ...

" (Städtisches Museum, Halberstadt), displays a more painterly manner than previous renderings, and evidences the artist's response not only to the subject's visual appeal, but also suggests the vulnerability of the medieval structure and the spiritual haven it represents. Other noted works include two views of

Cologne Cathedral Cologne Cathedral (german: Kölner Dom, officially ', English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a Catholic cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archdiocese ...

(1832–33), Erfurt Cathedral (1827), “Mediæval Castle Yard” (1842, Schwerin Gallery), and “Ruined Chapel” (Stettin Museum). He died in Halberstadt in 1858.

References

* Johnston, Catherine, et al., ''Baltic Light: Early Open-Air Painting in Denmark and North Germany''. Yale University Press, 1999. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hasenpflug, Carl 19th-century German painters German male painters German landscape painters Painters of ruins 1802 births 1858 deaths 19th-century German male artists