Oswald Achenbach

Oswald Achenbach is the painter of sunlit Italy: views over the Bay of Naples, festivals, processions and hill towns, all bathed in warm southern light. Where his older brother Andreas favoured stormy northern seas, Oswald chose the Mediterranean, and his rich, textured colour made these scenes very popular.

Born in Düsseldorf, he entered the Düsseldorf Academy as a boy and later taught landscape painting there from 1863 to 1872. He travelled often in Italy and built a large output, around two thousand paintings, many of them of the Campagna, Amalfi, Capri and Naples. His Fireworks in Naples is a good example of his love of dramatic evening light.

His work is held at the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin, the Von der Heydt Museum in Wuppertal and the Hermitage. Look for the strong contrast between glowing skies and dark foregrounds.