c. 1809-1810 (1862 photo-lithograph edition)

Gothic Church behind Trees

German, 1781 - 1841

Gothic churches and ancient oak trees began to appear in the works of German artists during the early years of the nineteenth century—the church as a symbol of religious faith and the oak as an emblem of the Northern terrain. Here the two are combined in a crisply drawn lithograph intended to remind viewers of the mythical origins of Gothic architecture, which was once believed to derive from living plant forms.