The Bookworm
circa 1851
Perched precariously on a rickety ladder, this elderly scholar is the living embodiment of a 'bookworm.' He’s so utterly absorbed in his reading that he’s multitasking with books—holding one open to his face, clutching another, tucking a third under his arm, and even stuffing a volume into his tall boot! Carl Spitzweg, a master of German Biedermeier humor, painted this around 1850 to poke gentle fun at the eccentric world of academics who prefer the dusty company of old manuscripts to the outside world. The dramatic lighting highlights his obsession, making him look almost like a saint of scholarship in his own little cathedral of books.
- Technique
- Oil on canvas
- Material
- Canvas
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