Artwork
Storm at Handeck
Storm at Handeck is an oil painting by Alexandre Calame. It dates from 1838 and is held in the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1838, this oil on canvas by Swiss landscape painter Alexandre Calame captures a dramatic mountain scene under an advancing storm. The work is part of the Fitzwilliam Museum’s collection, where it is displayed as an example of early nineteenth‑century Alpine painting.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents a craggy ridge silhouetted against a sky filled with dense, rolling clouds. In the lower foreground, solitary trees bend under gusty winds, emphasizing the power of nature and the vulnerability of the human‑made world within it. The turbulent atmosphere conveys a sense of imminent change.
Technique & Style
Calame employs a restrained palette of deep grays and muted earth tones, allowing the contrast between light and shadow to heighten the scene’s tension. Broad, confident brushstrokes define the clouds and rock faces, while finer detailing renders the foliage. The treatment of chiaroscuro accentuates the volumetric forms of the peaks.
History & Provenance
After its completion, the painting entered the European art market and was eventually acquired by the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. Its presence in the museum’s collection reflects the 19th‑century fascination with Alpine vistas and the growing reputation of Calame as a leading Swiss landscape artist.
Artist & collection
Mountain landscape from Norway
From the Styrian Mountain Forests near Neuberg
Fir Trees and Storm Clouds
Fir Trees and Storm Clouds
Study from Nature at Bex
Baijerilainen vuoristomaisema, kopio Franz Hengsbachin mukaan
Rydal Mountains
L'Aar à la Handeck
L'Éboulement (après l'orage)
Lumiset vuorenrinteet
Gebirgssee
Storm in the mountains