Artistic journeys of discovery around 1800

Whether a »Grand Tour« or a short trip to the outskirts of a city: artists' journeys of all sizes were particularly fashionable in the 18th and 19th centuries. The artist's journey was not a novelty; for many centuries, traveling had been part of the training to get to know other styles and make contacts. In the early modern period, when the wealthy middle classes grew, the circle of people who could finance such an educational trip expanded. Artists now increasingly traveled to other countries independently of their education, for example to see ancient ruins or discover landscapes. Shorter trips to the outskirts of large cities also inspired artists and were undertaken regularly. In the exhibition Travels: Artists on the move, the ALBERTINA Museum is showing works from the 18th and 19th centuries from its own collection. It tells of the transition from the classicist artist's journey, which was characterized by humanism and the veneration of antiquity, to the romantic journey, which focused on Gothic art and medieval ruins. The exhibition runs from June 27 to August 24 in Vienna.

Fine drawings and colorful watercolors bear witness to individual experiences of nature and new perspectives. They served the painters as models for paintings that they later produced in their studios. The exhibition includes works by Jakob Alt, Tina Blau, Thomas Ender and Caspar David Friedrich as well as works by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The works on display not only provide an insight into the working methods of the artists, but also into the state of the world 200 years ago – for example the comparatively little excavated ruins of the Roman Forum (the first excavation took place in 1788) – and the difficult travel conditions of the time.