Adolph Menzel - Procession in Hofgastein [1880]

When this painting was shown in Munich and Berlin in the 1880s and 1890s, critics marvelled at Menzel’s ability to depict the ritual procession of Catholic clergy and laity in traditional dress through a picturesque village (in Austrian). But the painting offers more than a straightforward rendering of its subject: it also comments on the deep social and confessional divisions in the Germany of Menzel’s day. It does so, in part, by creating a sense of disjuncture between the members of the procession and those who either watch or appear in proximity to it. Ultimately, Menzel refuses to provide any easy narrative resolution to this confused scene of dignity and chaos, and to the unfathomable sentiments he has captured in paint. The only sense of coherence is pictorial, achieved by way of the diagonal that helps organise the space of the painting. Indulging his painterly impulses, Menzel celebrates the glorious dance of sunlight and the bold colours of the festive costumes. Greater truths remain as open to interpretation as the indistinct mountains in the background.

[Neue Pinakothek, Munich - Oil on canvas, 51.3 x 70.2 cm]