Carl Spitzweg, The Garret II/II 1855 by Atelier Liesjes

About "Carl Spitzweg, The Garret II/II 1855"

by Atelier Liesjes

About the artwork

Unlike the older gentleman in the previous painting, the young man here does not seem to be so interested in the plants of his flower box, because they do not look so well-groomed. Instead, his eyes are on the young woman across the dormer window doing some handicrafts. He is dressed in Biedermeier fashion. He has folded the sleeves of his jacket and placed the shaft behind his ear. Maybe he needed a break and a fresh summer air, maybe he came to the young woman. A bird in a cage is also with him. The Spitzweg once again painted an everyday scene in a corner of the old city of Munich, one depicting an unfulfilled - or unfulfilled - wish. The interpretation of the image is guided by the bird cage. He is alone and locked in his room; both the young man and the bird have the same attitude.
A garret, attic room is a habitable attic, a living space at the top of a house or a larger residential building, often small, gloomy and cramped, with sloping ceilings. In the days before elevators, this was the least prestigious position in a building, at the very top of the stairs.
Carl Spitzweg (Germering, February 5, 1808 - September 23, 1885) was a German painter and poet. He is considered one of the most important artists of the Biedermeier era. His first works have been published in satirical magazines. His paintings are often humorous genre pieces. Many of his paintings depict caricatures of eccentrics.