This work relates in its vigour, spontaneity and flow to works by such artists as Tintoretto, the late Titian and Rubens, by whom he was fascinated throughout his career, and studied in detail while living in Italy. He was one of the Deutsch-Römer group with Arnold Böcklin and Hans von Marées and was considered the most literary of the three, in his portrayal of "high" mythological characters.