Recently, the National Gallery acquired A View of the Sky from a Prison Window (1823) by Carl Gustav Carus. This is the first painting by a 19th-century German Romantic painter to enter a public collection in the UK, further enhancing cross-cultural recognition. The image is currently displayed in Room 39 and represents one of the recent Bicentenary acquisitions, coinciding with the highly anticipated opening of CC Land: The Wonder of Art. This event marks the most extensive rehang of the National Gallery’s collection, as well as the newly transformed Sainsbury Wing, that took place on May 10, 2025.
On the occasion of this culturally expansive event, Sir Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery, said,
“I am grateful for the legacies of Mrs. Martha Doris Bailey and Mr. Richard Hillman Bailey, and for the support of Mr. and Mrs. Booth-Clibborn and others, that have enabled us to acquire this powerful painting, symbolizing Romantic-era preoccupations with liberty and captivity. It is the first painting by Carus to enter a UK collection and will enhance our growing 19th-century German collection alongside such painters as Friedrich and Menzel.”
Being brought £396,660 with the support of Mr. and Mrs. Bailey, Mr. and Mrs. Booth-Clibborn, and others, this composition is a powerful chronicling of freedom and captivity on a single canvas, further honoring the three decades of curatorial activity at the National Gallery of Christopher Riopelle, the Neil Westreich Curator of Post 1800 Paintings. The other paintings in this collection are Ballet Dancers Hilaire Germain by Edgar Degas (1888) and A Banquet Still Life by Carl Gustav Carus (1823).
Sarah Herring, Associate Curator of Post-1800 Paintings, says: ‘Carus is possibly remembering his own views of the barred windows of church ruins. Such a subject also reflects recent events of the Napoleonic Wars, Dresden itself being the site of Napoleon’s last major victory in August 1813. It is perhaps even a reference to Beethoven’s opera Fidelio, performed in Dresden in 1823, which recounted the story of the rescue of a political prisoner from prison. More universally, the window here is not the means through which to observe and depict a view of the outside world, instead, it functions as a boundary between interior and exterior, dark and light, imprisonment and liberty. Ultimately, the picture addresses the dialogue between fear and hope, captivity and freedom, both physical and psychological.’
Carl Gustav Carus was a naturalist, doctor, scientist, psychologist, and sometimes an artist who was a key figure in the German Romanticism movement. In the memoirs that he composed in his late life between 1846 and 56, he wrote several letters under the name of Briefe über Landschaftsmalerei, Geschrieben in den Jahren 1815-1824 (Letters on landscape painting, written in the years 1815-1824), which gives a brief idea about his understanding on science and art. He writes: “There appeared in these letters a curious blend of science and art, and it is this, if anything, that will give them a lasting place in literature. What Schelling was trying to express at that time through the concept of the world soul was precisely the cardinal point around which these thoughts revolved.” Being a medical student at first, he later drew on canvas what he felt about the connection of science, environment, and art with a great depth of psychology.
As a small and striking piece, the painting A View of the Sky from a Prison Window depicts a barred window that looks out at a view of the blue sky and wisps of white clouds. The windowsill is on a grey stone which gives a look ofboundation. To the right, a heavy chain set in the wall shows oppression and restraint. Just over the window, the artist portrays a spider’s web beyond bars with delicate threads stretching from top to bottom. The painting is about the imprisonment of one’s self at the war time, while still having a hope to fly someday over the other side of the door where freedom awaits. The artist emphasizes the pain of imprisonment through damages, like cracks and deep fissures caused by the window’s bar, giving a psychological restraint to the viewer.
The artwork will surely impress viewers and enhance their experience when viewed alongside other German 19th-century art, including works by Friedrich and Adolph Menzel (1815‒1905).
Featured Image: Floris van Dijck, ‘A Banquet Still Life’, 1622 © The National Gallery, London. Bought thanks to a generous legacy from Mrs Martha Doris Bailey and Mr Richard Hillman Bailey, with the support of the National Gallery Trust, 2025.