In the Pergola

Oscar Bluhm (German, 1867-1912): In the Pergola, 1894 - Bluhm would have been a member of the Berlin School. At the time, it was the fashion to paint women at home or in the garden relaxing in natural positions, as opposed to formal portraits. Like others, Bluhm painted these paintings to both flatter the sitter and to please the viewer. It was the desire of the bourgeois to emulate the aristocracy, and these portraits of themselves enjoying their leisure time were a testament of their affluence…