Abbey in Ruins in Valencia Countryside
Abbey in Ruins in Valencia Countryside c1838 by German Painter Wilhelm Gail (1804 – 1890); an architectural painter.
This is a beautiful and tranquil scene of travelers in Valencia, Spain by the ruins of an ancient abbey that has been overgrown with trees, brush and flowers.
By the main structure in the scene we see three people consisting of two men and a women, along with a dog and a donkey that seems to be used as a pack animal.
In the distance we can see a mountain range that is highlighted by a cloudy blue sky that has birds soaring through the air.
This is a retouched digital art old masters reproduction of a public domain image that is available for purchase online as a rolled canvas print.
The Below Information Is Derived From Wikipedia.org
Wilhelm was the son of an electoral gallery supervisor, and in accordance with his father’s wishes after finishing high school, began studying architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, Germany; but would later devote himself to painting.
After Wilhelm completed his studies at the academy, he took further lessons in the studio of his brother-in-law, the painter German Painter Peter von Hess and during this time, created a number of landscapes which he depicted the fauna and customs of his homeland.
In 1825 Wilhelm traveled to Italy at the invitation of Baron von Malzen, the royal Bavarian chargé d’affaires at the Sardinian court; while there he created several architectural images and genre pieces that were published as lithographs under the titles Monuments romains dans les états de sardaigne and Scènes populaires de Genova.
Upon his return to Munich, Wilhelm created numerous paintings of building from memory from his journey’s; which included the ancient aqueduct in the Campagna and the cloister courtyard in Viterbo, which were well accepted by the public, quickly making him a popular painter.
In 1830 Wilhelm again left Germany, and this time took a trip to Paris, France to study; but after the outbreak of the July Revolution he left and went to Chartres; and from there would take other trips to Italy and Spain to further increase is artistic knowledge and skill.
In 1854, Wilhelm was appointed as chief plenipotentiary and soon afterwards to the cabinet council of the Bavarian Duke Nikolaus von Leuchtenberg.