Hochgebirgslandschaft im Sturm 

August Weber made this landscape in stormy conditions with brush and brown ink and grey wash. Here, nature is not a source of idyllic pleasure, but a place of drama and even danger. Painted in Germany, probably in the mid-19th century, it reflects a particular moment in the history of landscape art. We can consider how specific features of German culture such as geographic location and Romanticism might have influenced this artwork. Also, at the time, the Dusseldorf Academy was the center of art, and Weber was a student there. Did his training lead him to represent this landscape in a certain way? Is it self-consciously conservative or progressive? Does it critique the institutions of art? We can only address questions like this by putting the artwork in the context of its time. Primary sources such as exhibition reviews and artists' letters, along with secondary literature can help us to better understand art as something contingent on social and institutional context.