Artwork
Rocky Hills near Civitella
Rocky Hills near Civitella is a photography by the Impressionist artist Unknown. It dates from 1869 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
If you like this style, look up Realism next to see more works that focus on everyday scenes like this one.
This image shows a wide, open landscape with rolling hills and distant mountains under a bright blue sky. In the foreground, dry grass and scattered rocks lead up to a rocky cliff. A few sheep graze near the bottom, and patches of green trees dot the hillsides. The light is soft, making everything look warm and natural.
The painting was made in 1869, but it’s actually a photograph, not a painting. That’s unusual for the time—most landscape art back then was painted, not captured this way.
If you like this style, look up Realism next to see more works that focus on everyday scenes like this one.
Overview
Rocky Hills near Civitella, created in 1869 by 1008_person, is a photographic work housed at the Museum of Ethnography. Contrary to its title's suggestive medium implication, it is indeed a photograph.
Subject & Meaning
The image depicts a serene, expansive landscape featuring rolling hills, a rocky cliff, distant mountains, and a bright blue sky. Foreground elements include dry grass, scattered rocks, grazing sheep, and sporadically placed green trees, collectively conveying a sense of natural warmth.
Technique & Style
Noted for its soft lighting, the photograph captures a realistic, everyday scene, characteristic of the Realist movement's emphasis on ordinary subjects. Its photographic medium was unconventional for landscape art of the late 19th century, which predominantly featured paintings.
History & Provenance
Created in 1869, the work's early photographic technique marks an interesting deviation from the predominant landscape painting practices of its time. It is currently part of the collection at the Museum of Ethnography.
Context
Situated within the broader art historical context, Rocky Hills near Civitella aligns with the Realist movement's principles, though its medium sets it apart from contemporaneous landscape works. For similar thematic focuses on everyday life, the Realist movement offers further examples.
Artist & collection
Domestic Scene
Giacomo and Cardinal Marco, investing Andrea, Abbot of San Zeno, with his Benefice
The Nymph of Fontainebleau
Portrait of a Woman
Madonna and Child with Saints in the Enclosed Garden
Venus and Minerva
Family Group of Four on Sofa
Wall painting from Room H of the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale
