Hermann Ottomar Herzog

Hermann Ottomar Herzog painted wilderness landscapes: mountain lakes, rushing streams, forests and moonlit camps. His work is detailed and calm, more realistic and less theatrical than that of his contemporaries Church and Bierstadt.

Born in Bremen, he trained at the Düsseldorf Academy under Andreas Achenbach, Hans Gude and others, and made his early name painting Alpine and Norwegian scenes. He moved to the United States in 1871, became an American citizen in 1876 and settled in Philadelphia, where he lived for the rest of his long life. He painted over a thousand pictures, including views of Yosemite, Maine, Florida and the rivers of Pennsylvania.

In works like Evening on the Susquehanna and Campfire in Moonlight, look for the careful handling of low light on water.