In 1786-88 J.W.von Goethe travelled around in Italy and wrote lots of letters for his friends back home in Germany. 230 years later, in summer 2016, I read them all in a fascinating book. His language was very vivid and picturesque, so I felt like I was set back in time, travelling with him. In the book were small black and white photos of some of his own watercolour sketches and works by other artists from the time, showing places he visited and wrote about.
I started to paint my versions of these pictures, as monochromes with my homemade watercolour paint from plant indigo pigment, gum arabic and local honey. I posted them on Facebook with my own texts, as if I was travelling as Goethe’s companion and they became a success. Some thought I was travelling in Italy for real!
I have beautiful cards – postcards and larger double cards with envelopes of some of these paintings. Please contact me if interested.
Goethe wanted to see all the antique remains in Italy. Most of his two years there were spent in Rome, but he was also very eager to see Sicily, so he travelled to Naples and went on ship over to the big island. There were no turists (!) so he and his companion had to fix ‘b&b’ along the road. I found his watercolour sketches very modern and energetic.
J.W.von Goethe. A famous portrait of him outside Rome, made by his friend Tieschbein.