Karl Rohwedder Ruge Painting

- sold -

Very beautiful Hamburg painting by the well-known marine painter Karl Rohwedder Ruge (1865 ~ 1943)

Born in Hamburg in 1865, the literature says that his year of death in Hamburg was around ~1940, as this is not known exactly, also due to the war.
He painted this picture in 1943, in the middle of the war and thus after the year of his death, which is often wrongly attributed. It could therefore be his last known work.

In addition to the industrial harbor charm, the picture also impresses with Rohwedder Ruge's skillful choice of colors.
The haze, the grayish sky,...the water...soft, pale green-gray tones characterize this painting. Painted in all probability in spring/early summer, before the major bombing in July 1943, and thus a wonderful snapshot of this beautiful city.
The picture measures 75.5 x 55 cm and is framed with a simple, timeless white wooden studio frame. With this, the total size is 78 x 57.5 cm. Here it is up to the buyer to use a different frame according to their own preference. We think the simple frame is appropriate and timeless. It suits both modern and antique furnishings. The picture is signed "KRohwedderRuge 1943 Hambg" at the bottom left. Rohwedder Ruge has also titled the picture "Hamburg Hafen/ Kehrwiederspitze" on the wedgewood frame on the back. Very good condition. Careful restoration in the form of cleaning and removal/renewal of the varnish layer. Any bright spots are light reflections and not defects in the painting.

The picture, painted in oil on canvas in a horizontal wedgewood frame, depicts a blunt, everyday scene in the port of Hamburg.
The weather is hazy, the sun and the blue sky are only visible in spots in the morning gray.
A diesel-powered barge under load and thus a lot of black-gray smoke from pulling the loaded barges, as well as an unloaded barge with light smoke called Erich, also envelop the hazy sky in a sea of fog. A small sailing dinghy and a larger freighter can be seen in the background next to world-famous buildings. Firstly, the Hamburg Michel, a landmark of the city, as well as the Kehrwiederspitze with the distinctive Kaiserspeicher, which formed the western part of the Speicherstadt. This warehouse, which was already very well known at the time, with its famous time ball on the top of the tower, was demolished in 1963.
Like the Michel, it was often the first and last building that sailors and emigrants saw when entering or leaving Hamburg. Today, there is another world-famous building on this site - the Elphie / Elbphilharmonie.