The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 19, 2025
The Old Willow at a Brook
1794
Location: Not on view
Description
After an initial phase of classically influenced landscape painting, Dillis’s work achieved a newfound naturalism and freedom. He based this close-up view of a thicket on direct observation of nature. Dillis’s dense network of lines form a filigree-like pattern of trees and foliage. One of only two etchings that Dillis published during his lifetime, this informal composition and its loose style reveal the influence of Jacob van Ruisdael, a Dutch landscapist of the 17th century. In addition to being an artist, Dillis was an outstanding connoisseur and assembled a large print collection of his own. He became one of the first great German museum directors whose impact on the history of art was enormous.- “1993 Annual Report.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 81, no. 6 (July 1994): 143–218. Mentioned: p. 165 www.jstor.org
- Nature Sublime: Landscapes from the 19th Century. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 15-November 14, 2004).Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art; 8/15/04-11/14/04. "Nature Sublime: Landscapes from the 19th Century". No exhibition catalogue.
- {{cite web|title=The Old Willow at a Brook|url=false|author=Georg von Dillis|year=1794|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1993.134