Like Edward Theodore Compton, Rudolf Reschreiter is a painter whose work is closely associated with his Alpine pursuits. Reschreiter scaled the local mountains around Munich at a young age and joined a section of the Munich Alpine Club before commencing his studies at the Academy of Art in 1895. In this painting, Reschreiter’s meticulously placed brushstrokes capture the cool, crisp atmosphere of the Höllental valley in the Wetterstein mountains above Lake Eibsee, creating an almost photo-realistic vista of the imposing mountain backdrop in subtly nuanced hues. The contrast between the idyllic view of the valley and the rugged grandeur of the mountain massifs is a favorite theme in his work. Capturing the Bavarian mountains in a hyper-realistic style of almost fantastical-supernatural precision, Reschreiter won patrons not only among the Bavarian royal family but also at the German Alpine Club. As a co-founder of the Hochland (highland) Section, Reschreiter received regular commissions for paintings, posters and postcards from the Club, bringing his art to the attention of a large audience. [KT]