FIGURE
IN A RIVER LANDSCAPE
by Hermann Herzog
. 1910, 40 x 50
cm
A native of the German city of Bremen, Herman Herzog
moved his family to the United States in the 1860s. Between 1885 and 1910, Herzog
made regular visits to his son's home in Gainesville, Florida. The lush vegetation
between the Suwannee and Homossassa Rivers appealed to the artist's taste for
quiet drama, and Herzog created more than 250 Florida views. In this example,
a loose brushstroke and a keen interest in atmospheric effects are evident. The
heavy application of paint in the palm trees contrasts with the much lighter touch
in the overcast sky, and is a reflection of the artist’s preoccupation with the
transient effects of light. It is a painted record of unspoiled Florida.