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Lot Essay
Like lot 261, the picture shows one of the most spectacular views in the Bernese Oberland, in this case the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Popularised by such celebrated tourists as Goethe and Byron, the valley is famous for its dramatic waterfalls, so high that they turn to spray long before they reach the ground.
The picture was shown at the Royal Academy in 1916, three years later than lot 261. The war was now at its most catastrophic; this year saw the evacuation of Gallipoli and the battles of Verdun, Jutland and the Somme, the last alone involving 420,000 British losses. Not surprisingly, the picture strikes a darker and more menacing note than its earlier companion, while the biblical title deliberately emphasises the element of symbolism and invites the viewer to look for transcendental meaning. That meaning, however, is not altogether pessimistic. On the contrary, the choice of a quotation from Psalm 95, a hymn of joy to the Lord who is 'the rock of our salvation', points beyond the horrors and the carnage to a time when, against all the odds, man will enjoy a healing and redemptive peace.
The picture was bought off the walls of the Academy, but in 1920 it returned to Burlington House as one of the works shown at the summer exhibition by way of a memorial to the recently deceased artist.
The picture was shown at the Royal Academy in 1916, three years later than lot 261. The war was now at its most catastrophic; this year saw the evacuation of Gallipoli and the battles of Verdun, Jutland and the Somme, the last alone involving 420,000 British losses. Not surprisingly, the picture strikes a darker and more menacing note than its earlier companion, while the biblical title deliberately emphasises the element of symbolism and invites the viewer to look for transcendental meaning. That meaning, however, is not altogether pessimistic. On the contrary, the choice of a quotation from Psalm 95, a hymn of joy to the Lord who is 'the rock of our salvation', points beyond the horrors and the carnage to a time when, against all the odds, man will enjoy a healing and redemptive peace.
The picture was bought off the walls of the Academy, but in 1920 it returned to Burlington House as one of the works shown at the summer exhibition by way of a memorial to the recently deceased artist.