Carl Spitzweg was born on February 5, 1808 in Bavaria. He was an important part of the German Romantic movement in art, and especially in the Biedermeier era in which art grew to appeal to middle class people.
Spitzweg was trained as a pharmacist, but ironically an illness took him away from it for a time. During his recovery he got into painting, teaching himself and proving that he had natural talent. He practiced by copying the works of Flemish masters. After he received an inheritance, he was able to devote his time more exclusively to his art. He traveled around Europe to study the works of those who had mastered the art he so loved, and he developed his own style, often humorous in the midst of beauty. The musical comedy Das kleine Hofkonzert was inspired by his work.
Below are shown Gnome Watching Railway Train, A Woodland Meeting,
The Bookworm, Dirndln on the Alpine Pasture,
Newspaper Reader in his Backyard, and In the Alpine High Valley.
