Landscape(d)

German Landscape (Deutsche Landschaft), Julius Schrag

YoonJae Lee

Painted by the German painter and etcher Julius Schrag (1864-1948), German Landscape (Deutsche Landschaft) features a cottage with a red roof surrounded by elements of nature such as a river and trees, which creates a serene and peaceful atmosphere (Fig. 1). At the same time, the visibly short and thick brushwork in the foliage, water stream, and small patch of sky, suggests the presence of a gentle breeze. Schrag completed this oil painting, now part of the Art Properties collection at Columbia University, in Oberbayern (Upper Bavaria) in 1927, the same year he became a Professor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Munich. 1 As an artist active in Germany from the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century, Schrag witnessed stylistic shifts influenced by Impressionism, including new approaches to color, impasto, and plein-air techniques. This new wave led Schrag to explore contrasts in color palettes and emphasize light and shadow in his work.

Although some museums hold examples of Schrag’s paintings, more of his art seems to be in private collections, as a number of examples are viewable on various auction databases. His early works, especially townscapes, often exhibit lingering gray tints that create a nostalgic mood, reflecting the artist’s affection for the Hague School—an informal group of Dutch artists, active in the Hague region between 1860 and 1900—known for their tranquil landscape scenes. 2 Schrag’s biographers mention his regular participation in international art exhibitions from the late 1880s in Munich, and note that he took great interest in contemporary Dutch masters like the Maris brothers. Although Schrag’s early artistic style and interest in genre and landscape paintings were shaped by his admiration for late nineteenth-century Dutch art, they eventually shifted through the influence of artists he met at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich.

Schrag entered the Academy in 1882 at the age of seventeen, but it was not until the late 1880s—after the death of Karl von Piloty (1826-1886), the Director of the Academy since 1874 and a painter renowned for his successful history paintings—that the institution began to attract and introduce modernist artists and art. 3 One of Schrag’s mentors, Heinrich von Zügel (1850-1941), introduced vivid color palettes through his specialization in painting farm and domestic animals. Additionally, Schrag’s colleague Max Slevogt (1868-1932) shared his interest in landscape and genre painting. However, a major difference between them was that Schrag’s landscape paintings are prominently leaning toward the style of the Impressionists, unlike Slevogt, who did not adopt the Impressionist technique of fragmenting colors through short and thick brushstrokes in his paintings. 4 However, the rise in popularity of French landscape painting, especially the Barbizon School and the Impressionists, quickly gained the attention of German artists. As a result, in the twentieth century, Schrag transitioned from the styles of the Hague School and the traditional German Academy to a more French Impressionist technique, distinguished by their use of textural paint with bright hues and tints. His six-month stay in Paris from 1911 most likely deepened this appreciation for Impressionist art. 5 However, Schrag continued to explore both muted and vibrant colors in his paintings throughout the 1900s.

Three works by Schrag from 1926 share similar compositions to German Landscape, all of them featuring a cottage. One work, a drawing on paper, Near Wartenberg, Oberbayern (Fig. 2) is currently at the Lenbachhaus in Munich. Both works feature a scene of Upper Bavaria, as indicated by the inscription “Oberbayern” on the back of the painting (Fig. 3) and by the title of the drawing. While both depict trees and cottages, suggesting the drawing is a preliminary sketch for a painting, there are notable differences in composition. Arguably, the 1926 pencil work could be a sketch for the two paintings in the Neue Pinakothek: Under Apple Trees (Fig. 4) and Herb Garden (Fig. 5), both also dated 1926. Although only black-and-white images of the two paintings are currently available, it is most likely that the two cottages feature a red roof like the German Landscape. Of the two paintings, Under Apple Trees bears a closer resemblance to the 1927 painting, though the land is visibly flatter. Herb Garden demonstrates a detailed roof for the cottage, with a plot of land used for growing household vegetation; its brushwork is more visible and reminiscent of the one used in German Landscape.

Neither Schrag nor the painting that is today in Art Properties have been closely studied, making the painting’s provenance a crucial aspect of the research. Given the historical period during which Schrag was active (i.e., the period including both World War I, 1914-1918, and World War II, 1939-1945), one plausible hypothesis for German Landscape to have come to the United States was through looting. Studies conducted by the Bavarian State Painting Collections provide relevant examples, such as Under Apple Trees, which was acquired by the Nazi Party on the occasion of the Great German Art Exhibition held in Munich in 1944 and subsequently seized by the American Allies in 1945. 6 Several of Schrag’s paintings were exhibited at the Great German Exhibition from 1938 to 1944, further raising the possibility of German Landscape being a stolen work.

However, such a possibility has been refuted by an in-depth exploration of information in the curatorial file and records in Columbia’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library. The painting was accessioned in Art Properties as part of Columbia’s collection in 1966, and documented as being in the North room, fourth floor of Deutsches Haus, the building housing Columbia’s Department of Germanic Languages. This information prompted a search into the Deutsches Haus archive, which contains various news clippings and photographs. One particular black-and-white photograph taken in 1929 by A. Tennyson Beals (1870-1955), showing the library on the third floor, clearly shows German Landscape hanging on a wall (Fig. 6), which helped the assessment of when and how the painting arrived in New York. 7 The photograph was published in a locally distributed booklet celebrating the reopening of Deutsches Haus in January 1929, which had been closed since 1917 due to World War I, the Deutsches Haus having first been established at Columbia in 1911. 8 Since the photograph was most likely taken around the time of the reopening, it strongly suggests that German Landscape, completed in 1927, traveled to the United States within two years of its completion, and was on display at the Deutsches Haus by 1929. While it is unclear whether the painting was acquired as a purchase or as a gift, two individuals are associated with the acquisition of Schrag’s work. The 1929 Columbia Alumni News discusses the reopening and introduces Carl Wetzel, a German architect and decorator in New York City, responsible for the post-war style interior designs. Another source notes that the funding for decorations, such as paintings and etchings, was provided by George Semler, a senior member of the firm of Geo. Borgfeldt & Co., who is noted for making great concessions on the purchase of artworks. 9

The investigation into the provenance of German Landscape further highlights the importance of historical and cultural context in understanding how artists came to create their artworks. German Landscape by Julius Schrag, a relatively lesser-known artist today, not only showcases his mastery of color and light but also invites the viewer to appreciate the interaction between art and nature in the early twentieth century. Conclusively, German Landscape is more than a depiction of a peaceful Bavarian landscape; it is both a reflection of Schrag’s artistic journey and an exemplary work demonstrating the transitioning European art trends in modern art history.

I would like to express my gratitude to the many scholars who supported the research on Julius Schrag and his works. I am especially thankful to Dr. Ferrari for providing invaluable insights into the Deutsches Haus archives and for sharing new findings. I also extend my appreciation to Jenny Davis for assisting in the initial study of Julius Schrag, and to the scholars at Lenbachhaus and Alte Pinakothek for confirming the use of drawings and paintings in their collections.