Johann Caspar Rahn

1769 Zurich – Warsaw 1840

Suisse artist Johann Caspar Rahn studied in Zurich and Rome. In his precise conception of nature and in the poetic tone of his paintings he followed Ruisdael whose landscapes he greatly admired.

Rahn’s paintings stand out through their distinct compositions, the use of staffage figures as well as elements of an idealized heroic landscape that clearly reflect the Roman influence on his work. Furthermore, the artist dedicated himself to animal painting, thereby employing the technique of gouache among others. In 1834, due to illness he went to Warsaw on the invitation of his brother where he spent his remaining years.

In his painting “Auf dem Weg zur Schlucht (On the Way to the Canyon)” a simple bridge made of logs crosses a wooden canyon over a torrential river. A shepherd boy wearing ancient clothes easily passes it with his goats. The sublime of the landscape and the lightness of the staffage harmoniously supplement each other.