831 - J. STEINER (1757-1818), A hermit in the forest, Etching

J. STEINER (1757-1818), A hermit in the forest, Etching Johann Conrad Steiner (1757 Winterthur - 1818 Taegerwilen): Hermit sitting in the forest next to his hermitage, 19th century, Etching Technique: Etching on Paper Inscription: Signed in pencil lower right with "Steiner". Date: 19th century Description: A pious man in a monk's habit sits on a bench in the forest and looks up from his reading. The long beard and the rosary hanging at his side suggest that he is a clergyman seeking the silence of the forest to find the closeness of God in his little hermitage. Resting his hand on a stick, the old man seems to be listening to the sounds coming from his nearby dwelling. At the top of a makeshift staircase, the hermit's small house can be seen, where a young man stands, curiously poking his head through the open shutters. Disturbing the hermit in his quiet contemplation, the youth nevertheless forms a loosening element in this depiction and ensures that this motif has an exciting story to tell. The etching is characterised by small-scale strokes that form a dense network of lines through countless, often short, strokes. This handling is expressed particularly vividly in the small-scale structuring of the plants and the foliage of the trees. The materiality of the clay soil and the clothing of the pious hermit also becomes tangible and vivid. Keywords: Monk, hermit, hermitage, hermitage, 19th century, Romanticism, Religious, Germany, Size: Paper: 24,5 cm x 19,5 cm (9,6 x 7,7 in) Condition: Very good condition. Isolated pale foxing is visible along the edges.