Evening
1804
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1804
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a dark forest at dusk, trees twisting like smoke, a pale figure floating above the ground. Runge wanted each time of day to feel like a mood, not just a clock reading. This print is one of four—morning, noon, evening, night—each tied to seasons and stages of life. The floating figure isn’t a ghost; it’s how he showed the soul rising toward the divine. Look up *sfumato* next—it’s the soft, smoky way edges blur, like in this print.
