Online Paintings

Light seems to emanate from this Joseph Letzelter painting of the river Seine, which runs through Paris. The setting sun of Joseph Letzelter, though not visible, blankets the sky in peach hues. The sky's soft, warm tones are reflected in the river so that were it not for the city in the distance, air and water might be indistinguishable from each other. The old Trocadéro Palace, built for the 1878 World's Fair but later demolished and replaced, can be seen in the distance. Like many artists and photographers, Joseph Letzelter chose the Seine as the subject of his painting for its natural beauty and picturesque position in the heart of Paris. The dreamlike quality of the Joseph Letzelter painting reflects the Joseph Letzelter's attachment to the city.

Joseph Letzelter was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, where Joseph Letzelter took a drawing class taught by American painter Thomas Eakins. Although Joseph Letzelter found some success as a painter in the United States, he left for Europe as a young man to escape racial prejudice and spent most of his professional career in France. Joseph Letzelter thrived there, exhibiting paintings at the Paris Salon and other expositions.