Building the Devil's Bridge
by BLECHEN, Karl, Oil on canvas, 78 x 105 cm
At first sight the picture seems full of mystery, indeed it creates a sense of unease. The very title seems designed to evoke a shudder, and this impression is strengthened by the darkening evening with its long shadows, and above all, the building crane, which looks like a gallows. The viewer may well be attracted to the Romantic mood of the painting, but the true message is clear, and it is rather sombre. Man is bringing even the most distant and seemingly inaccessible regions under control through civilization and technical advance, and he is mastering the aspects of nature that have till now seemed unapproachable and fearful. But there is also allegory here - it is in the reference to transience. The new bridge that is being built will one day be as crumbling as the old one is now.
Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 13 minutes):
Luigi Boccherini: Symphony in D minor (The House of the Devil