Ludwig Heinrich Theodor Gurlitt, more commonly known as Louis Gurlitt, stands as a significant figure in 19th-century landscape painting, bridging the artistic traditions of Denmark and Germany. Born on March 8, 1812, in Altona, then under Danish rule but now part of Germany, Gurlitt captured the natural world with a sensitivity to light and atmosphere that evolved throughout his extensive travels and long career. His work reflects both the meticulous observation associated with the Danish Golden Age and the broader currents of European Romanticism and Realism.
Gurlitt passed away on November 19, 1897, in Naundorf, near Dresden, leaving behind a substantial body of work that continues to be appreciated for its technical skill and evocative portrayal of nature. His life spanned a period of significant change in Europe, and his art offers a window into the landscape aesthetics of his time.
Early Life and Artistic Foundations
Louis Gurlitt was born into a family with cultural inclinations. His father, Johan August Wilhelm Gurlitt, was a craftsman who later became known as a publisher, particularly involved in disseminating works related to art history. His mother was Helene Eberstein. The family environment likely fostered an early appreciation for the arts. Altona, his birthplace, was known for its relative religious tolerance, which contributed to a vibrant cultural milieu.
The Gurlitt family itself had notable members. Louis's brother, Cornelius Gurlitt (1850–1938), became a distinguished architect and art historian, further cementing the family's connection to the arts. It is important to note that this Cornelius Gurlitt is distinct from his later relative of the same name associated with the 20th-century art collection controversy. The family lineage also included notable figures like their great-grandmother, Elisabeth Lewald, who hailed from a prominent Jewish family.
Gurlitt's formal artistic training began in Hamburg. Around 1826, he became a student of Siegfried Detlev Bendixen, a respected local painter and graphic artist. Under Bendixen, Gurlitt likely received his initial grounding in drawing and painting techniques. The source material mentions him receiving his "first degree" under Bendixen's guidance, possibly referring to the completion of his apprenticeship or initial formal studies around 1832.
Seeking further development, Gurlitt moved to Copenhagen in 1832. This was a pivotal step, as he enrolled in the prestigious Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. Here, he studied under the influential painter Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, a central figure of the Danish Golden Age. Eckersberg emphasized meticulous observation, clarity of composition, and the truthful depiction of light and atmosphere, principles that would profoundly shape Gurlitt's artistic vision.
The Influence of the Danish Golden Age
Studying under Eckersberg placed Gurlitt directly within the vibrant artistic environment of the Danish Golden Age. This period saw Danish art flourish, characterized by a focus on realism, detailed observation of everyday life and local landscapes, and a particular sensitivity to the effects of light. Gurlitt absorbed these influences, learning alongside other talented artists who would become key figures of the era.
His contemporaries and peers at the Academy, or those active during his formative years in Copenhagen, included artists like Christen Købke, known for his intimate portraits and cityscapes; Martinus Rørbye, who, like Gurlitt, traveled extensively; Wilhelm Bendz, a master of portraiture and genre scenes; and landscape painters such as Johan Thomas Lundbye and Peter Christian Skovgaard. The emphasis on open-air sketching and capturing the specific qualities of Danish light left a lasting mark on Gurlitt's approach.
Even as Gurlitt later traveled and absorbed other influences, the precision and clarity instilled during his Copenhagen years remained evident in his work. His ability to render detail without sacrificing overall atmospheric effect owes much to this foundational training. He learned to observe nature closely and translate its nuances onto the canvas, a skill that would serve him well throughout his career.
Travels and Artistic Evolution: Broadening Horizons
Like many artists of his time, Gurlitt embarked on extensive travels that were crucial to his artistic development. Travel exposed him to different landscapes, cultures, and artistic trends, enriching his palette and thematic repertoire. His journeys took him across Scandinavia, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Greece.
His early travels focused on Scandinavia. He explored Norway, whose dramatic fjords, mountains, and coastal scenes provided powerful subjects. His depictions of Norwegian landscapes became particularly well-regarded, capturing the unique light and rugged beauty of the region. A work titled Norwegian Landscape exemplifies this period and achieved recognition, as evidenced by its sale at Sotheby's in London in 2012.
Germany and Austria also featured prominently in his travels. He spent time in artistic centers like Munich and Düsseldorf, potentially engaging with artists associated with the Düsseldorf School of painting, known for its detailed and often dramatic landscape style. Figures like Andreas Achenbach and Oswald Achenbach were leading landscape painters associated with this school, and while direct collaboration isn't heavily documented, Gurlitt would have been aware of their work and the prevailing trends in German landscape painting. His Landscape near Salzburg reflects his engagement with the Alpine scenery of Austria.
The Italian Journey: Light and Classical Landscapes
Italy held a powerful allure for Northern European artists, offering classical ruins, picturesque scenery, and, most importantly, a quality of light vastly different from that of the north. Gurlitt traveled to Italy multiple times, starting in the mid-1830s. These journeys had a profound impact on his art, leading to brighter palettes and a focus on the interplay of sunlight and shadow.
He painted scenes from various regions, capturing the coastal beauty of places like the Bay of Naples and the Amalfi Coast. A work titled Fishermen in the Bay of Elanto (likely referring to the Bay of Ieranto or a similar location on the Italian coast) suggests his interest in depicting local life within these sun-drenched settings. He also painted views around Rome and its environs, including famous sites like Lake Nemi, a popular subject for landscape painters visiting the Roman Campagna.
His Landscape in Northern Italy indicates his exploration extended beyond the central and southern regions. These Italian works often showcase a heightened sense of warmth and luminosity compared to his Nordic scenes. The experience of Mediterranean light encouraged a broader handling of paint and a greater emphasis on atmospheric perspective, adding another layer to his evolving style.
Greek Sojourn and Stylistic Shifts
In 1859, Gurlitt undertook a significant journey to Greece. This visit exposed him to the stark beauty of the Greek landscape and its iconic ancient monuments. The quality of light and the historical resonance of the locations offered new artistic challenges and inspiration. He painted views of Athens, including the Acropolis, capturing the ancient structures bathed in the clear Mediterranean light.
Some accounts suggest that his works took on a more "brownish tone" or a different chromatic emphasis following his Greek travels. This might reflect an attempt to capture the specific coloration of the arid Greek landscape or perhaps a stylistic shift influenced by the classical subjects and the prevailing academic tastes of the time. This period demonstrates his continued willingness to adapt his style in response to new environments and experiences.
Mature Style: Realism, Romanticism, and Atmosphere
Louis Gurlitt's mature style represents a synthesis of his diverse experiences and influences. While rooted in the detailed realism of his Danish training, his work also incorporates elements of Romanticism, particularly in his choice of sublime landscapes like mountains and dramatic coastlines, and in the evocative moods he often created.
He possessed a remarkable ability to render topographical detail accurately while simultaneously conveying the overall atmosphere and the ephemeral effects of light and weather. His skies are often active and expressive, playing a crucial role in setting the mood of the scene. Whether depicting the cool, clear light of the north or the warm glow of the Mediterranean sun, Gurlitt demonstrated a masterful understanding of how light defines form and creates space.
His compositions are typically well-structured, often employing traditional landscape conventions like framing elements in the foreground and leading the viewer's eye into the distance. However, his direct observation of nature prevented his work from becoming merely formulaic. There is a freshness and authenticity in his best paintings that speaks to his deep engagement with the landscapes he portrayed.
Notable Works: A Visual Legacy
Throughout his long career, Louis Gurlitt produced a significant number of paintings, many of which found their way into public and private collections. Based on the provided information and general art historical records, some of his key works include:
Norwegian Landscape: Representative of his popular Scandinavian scenes, capturing the specific light and terrain of Norway. His skill in this area was recognized, with works acquired by institutions like the Royal Painting Collection (likely in Copenhagen).
Landscape near Salzburg: Showcasing his engagement with the majestic Alpine landscapes of Austria, likely emphasizing dramatic mountain scenery and atmospheric effects.
Fishermen in the Bay of Elanto (or Ieranto): An example of his Italian works, combining landscape with elements of genre painting, depicting local life against a backdrop of the Mediterranean coast.
Landscape in Northern Italy: Indicating the breadth of his Italian travels and his ability to capture the diverse scenery of the Italian peninsula.
View of Cetara on the Amalfi Coast: A known work capturing the picturesque quality of Italian coastal towns.
Lake Nemi: A classic subject for artists visiting the Roman Campagna, allowing Gurlitt to explore the interplay of water, foliage, and light in a historically resonant setting.
The Acropolis of Athens: Stemming from his Greek travels, this work would have combined architectural rendering with landscape painting, capturing the iconic monument in its Mediterranean setting.
These titles represent the geographical range and thematic concerns that characterized Gurlitt's oeuvre, primarily focusing on the faithful yet evocative representation of European landscapes.
Life in Germany and Later Years
Although trained in Copenhagen and deeply influenced by Danish art, Gurlitt spent significant portions of his later life in Germany. He lived and worked in various cities, including periods in Gotha and Dresden. His move between Danish and German cultural spheres reflects the complex political and cultural landscape of the Schleswig-Holstein region where he was born, which transitioned from Danish to Prussian/German control during his lifetime.
The source material mentions a period of seclusion in a Saxon village between 1848 and 1852. While the exact location and duration might need further verification, such periods of retreat were not uncommon for artists and could have provided time for reflection and focused work, potentially influencing his style or thematic choices during that time.
In 1847, he married Elisabeth Lewald, connecting him further to a family noted for its cultural and intellectual contributions. They had several children who also pursued artistic or academic careers, including the aforementioned Cornelius (architect/art historian), Wilhelm (archaeologist), Fritz (an art dealer), and another Ludwig (also a painter).
He eventually settled in Naundorf, near Dresden, where he died in 1897. He remained active as a painter for much of his life, contributing to the landscape painting traditions of the 19th century.
Context and Contemporaries: Bridging Traditions
Louis Gurlitt occupied an interesting position in 19th-century art. His training placed him firmly within the Danish Golden Age tradition alongside figures like Købke, Rørbye, Lundbye, and Skovgaard, under the tutelage of the seminal C.W. Eckersberg. His meticulous observation and sensitivity to light reflect this heritage.
However, his extensive travels and time spent in Germany also connected him to broader European trends. He worked during the era of Romanticism and the rise of Realism. While perhaps not as dramatically Romantic as Caspar David Friedrich (an earlier generation whose influence lingered) or as committed to the specific style of the Düsseldorf School as the Achenbach brothers, his work shares the 19th-century preoccupation with nature, atmosphere, and capturing specific locations. He can be seen alongside other German landscape painters of the mid-to-late 19th century, such as Carl Blechen, who also combined realism with atmospheric sensitivity.
Gurlitt's unique contribution lies in his ability to synthesize these different influences – the precision of the Danish school with the broader scope and sometimes more dramatic sensibility found in German landscape painting. He was a painter who valued direct observation but also understood how to compose a scene for maximum effect, creating landscapes that were both topographically recognizable and emotionally resonant.
The Gurlitt Name: Later Controversies and Distinctions
It is crucial to address a point of potential confusion regarding the Gurlitt name that arose long after Louis Gurlitt's death. The provided source material conflates the 19th-century painter with later family members involved in significant 20th-century controversies, particularly concerning art dealing during the Nazi era.
The Gurlitt name gained international notoriety in the 21st century due to the discovery of a vast art collection amassed by Cornelius Gurlitt (1932–2014), the son of Hildebrand Gurlitt (1895–1956). Hildebrand Gurlitt was an art historian and dealer who became one of the few official dealers authorized by the Nazi regime to trade in modern art confiscated from German museums (so-called "degenerate art") and potentially art looted from Jewish collectors.
The collection inherited by his son Cornelius included works by major modern masters such as Marc Chagall, Otto Dix, Max Liebermann, Henri Matisse, Franz Marc, Emil Nolde, and Pablo Picasso, among many others. The discovery of this hoard in 2012 sparked intense debate about Nazi-looted art, provenance research, and the restitution of artworks to the heirs of their original owners. The Kunstmuseum Bern in Switzerland eventually inherited the collection, undertaking extensive research into the provenance of each piece.
This complex and ethically charged history belongs to Hildebrand Gurlitt and his son Cornelius. It is entirely separate from the life and career of the 19th-century landscape painter Louis Gurlitt (1812–1897). While they share a family name, attributing the actions and controversies surrounding the Nazi-era art trade to the earlier Louis Gurlitt is historically inaccurate. The painter Louis Gurlitt died decades before the Nazi regime came to power.
Similarly, descriptions in the source material of a reclusive figure, unmarried, devoted solely to his collection, refer to the 20th/21st-century collector Cornelius Gurlitt, not the 19th-century painter Louis Gurlitt, who was married and had a family.
Legacy of the Painter Louis Gurlitt
The primary legacy of Ludwig Heinrich Theodor (Louis) Gurlitt lies in his contribution to 19th-century landscape painting. He was a skilled and prolific artist whose work exemplifies the transition from the specific national style of the Danish Golden Age to a broader, more cosmopolitan European landscape tradition.
His paintings are valued for their technical proficiency, their careful rendering of light and atmosphere, and their evocative depictions of the diverse landscapes he encountered during his travels. He successfully captured the distinct character of various regions, from the dramatic fjords of Norway to the sunlit coasts of Italy and the classical ruins of Greece.
His work provides valuable insight into the artistic tastes and practices of the 19th century, reflecting the era's fascination with nature, travel, and the accurate depiction of the world. While overshadowed in popular consciousness by the later controversies associated with his family name, Louis Gurlitt the painter remains an important figure for understanding the development of landscape art in Denmark and Germany during a period of significant artistic evolution. His paintings continue to be studied and appreciated in museums and collections, bearing witness to a long and dedicated artistic journey through the landscapes of Europe.
