Terrasse des Kapuzinerklosters in Sorrent (M+)

This small oil painting is based on studies, which Reinhold executed while on a trip to the Gulf of Naples in 1823 and shows a view from the terrace of a capuchin garden that lies directly on the water. The artist has composed the scene - popular among young German painters - skillfully through an intelligent choice of locale. Through the use of a diagonally placed wall in the left lower corner, which runs to the right and is intersected by the terrace and sea, a strong depth effect is established. In the rear of the terrace a few monks have been placed as staffage figures.

The details, which have a realistic, almost factual feeling, stick to the natural features of the landscape. Nevertheless Reinhold is able to infuse his work with a distinct atmosphere owing to the interplay between light and shadow. Through the use of a free, luminously bright, but not glaring, coloration the painting has a serene late-afternoon feeling. The yellow light of the approaching evening breaks through the leaves of the trees, casting long shadows. And a few sail boats are silently gliding on the turquoise-blue waters of the glimmering sea.