Johann Jakob FREY 1813-1865
Exhibitions
La Campagna Romana da Hackert a Balla, Rome, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Roma, november 2001-february 2002, cat. n°88In a large grassy landscape, enclosed in the distance by the profile of the Alban Hills, the vestiges of the ancient Claudius aqueduct stand in all their majesty.
A flock of animals grazes, while a shepherd - the only human presence in the scene - seems to contemplate the landscape. In fact, humans rarely appear in Frey's works, whose attention is always directed to the relationship between nature and the architecture that inhabits it.
In this painting the artist reveals all his fascination for the luminous effects typical of the Mediterranean territories and central-southern Italy. Through the careful rendering of atmospheric passages and variations in light, Frey proves to be extremely attentive to the intimate movements of nature and its various manifestations.