Nymph, 1862

About the Work

The forbidden view. Immersed in the gloom of the woods, the nymph seems to take no notice of the onlooker. The guardian of the forest is as unprotected as she is unapproachable. Her permissive pose and the painting’s monumental scale reveal the influence of Gustave Courbet, who sojourned in Frankfurt in 1858/59 and was in close contact with Müller. Considered immoral by the artist‘s contemporaries, the depiction of the wood nymph triggered vehement controversy. It was nevertheless Müller’s single most-exhibited painting and is regarded as his magnum opus.