The Lorelei

Childe Hassam's 'The Lorelei' (1904) takes its title from the famous Rhine legend — the Lorelei rock on the Rhine where a beautiful siren lured sailors to their doom. Hassam's engagement with this German romantic legend during his European travels connected him to the international cultural tradition of the Rhine as a subject laden with mythology and landscape beauty. The Lorelei subject combined the natural drama of the Rhine gorge with the cultural resonance of the legend.

Hassam renders the Lorelei subject with his characteristic Impressionist approach — the Rhine landscape's specific character (the dramatic gorge, the rock formation, the quality of the German Rhine valley light) depicted with his direct, plein air observation. His handling of the light on the water and the rocky cliffs creates the atmospheric character of the legendary site. His American Impressionist approach adapted to the specific character of the German Rhine valley landscape.