Adrian Ludwig (Ludwig) Richter
The Fountain at Grottaferrata1832
Full of golden light, this painting depicts an idealized view of the Italian countryside. More about this work
About this work
Full of golden light, this painting depicts an idealized view of the Italian countryside. Like many young artists of the time, Richter traveled to Rome from Germany to study Classical ruins and the Mediterranean landscape. This work, finished years after he returned to Germany, is based on his detailed drawings of the countryside just outside Rome, including elements that made the site famous, like the fortified monastery in the background.
Text from the Art Institute of Chicago.
What you’re looking at
A work made of oil on canvas.
Description from the Art Institute of Chicago.
How it was made
- Oil paint
- Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.
Adrian Ludwig (Ludwig) Richter
German, 1803–1884
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The Art Institute of Chicago has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- 2011.123
- Credit
- Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
- Type
- Painting
- Department
- Painting and Sculpture of Europe
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site
