About the Work
In September 1839, the 19-year-old Friedrich Metz used this comparatively large landscape sketchbook with its many blank pages not only to draw various motifs with a pencil but also to press the plants he had probably collected on his trips through the vicinity of Frankfurt.
Probably on the basis of printed models, Metz first made a few anatomical studies of male body parts. Most of the following drawings in the book were probably made during expeditions which led Metz to Hofheim am Taunus, not far from Frankfurt, and to Eppstein. On these walks, he drew extensive views of landscapes and villages as well as details such as mill wheels and founder figures, crumbling brickwork and repeatedly close-up studies of gnarled tree trunks. The studies, some of which were executed with rapid strokes, others with shading strokes, were recorded on the recto pages. He only occasionally put several anatomy or tree studies on the same page.
The fact that Metz used it only for a short while may be due to its comparatively large format, which meant that the sketchbook did not fit into a jacket pocket: Metz used to carry his sketchbooks with him all his life, mainly on his travels and hikes, and to fill them in the outdoors, so he preferred convenient, stowable formats.
For a full sketchbook description, please see “Research”.
