The Path to the Church

Carl Spitzweg is a prominent representative of 19th century German genre painting. His path to art production was not straightforward. He had no special fine art education; in fact, he was an autodidact who fully pursued his artistic career only after he successfully completed his natural science studies. In his paintings, Spitzweg renders everyday motifs; some of his works show nearly caricatured motifs as well. His work was popular already during his life. When visiting Prague, he met Josef Mánes and Josef Navrátil. The Path to the Church is a typical example of Spitzweg’s work.