CARUS, Carl Gustav
(b. 1789, Leipzig, d. 1869, Dresden)

A Gondola on the Elbe near Dresden

1827
Oil on canvas, 29 x 22 cm
Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf

In this painting Carus also shows the figures from behind, so that the viewer experiences the boat trip. At the same time the boat is framed like a vista from the window, creating a picture within a picture.. This was an effect that Friedrich used in many of his interiors where he shows a view out of a window.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 3 minutes):
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy: Songs without Words op. 30 No. 5 (Venetian gondola song)