Faust und Gretchen im Kerker

About this artwork

Dieses Gemälde entstand anlässlich der Wiener Uraufführung des Fausts am 24. Mai 1832. Es bildet das Gegenstück zum 15 Jahre früher entstandenen "Faust in der Studierstube". Der mithilfe Mephistos verjüngte Faust möchte Gretchen zur Flucht aus dem Kerker verhelfen. Das Mädchen aber wehrt mit erhobenen Armen ab und wendet sich zum Kreuz an der Wand. Auf das blasse und in strahlendem Weiß gekleidete Gretchen fällt effektvoll ein Lichtstrahl durch ein Kerkerfenster, der die Hinwendung zu Gott verde...

Art Historical Context

This monumental oil painting by Ludwig Ferdinand Schnorr von Carolsfeld captures a pivotal scene from Goethe’s *Faust* at the moment of Gretchen’s imprisonment. Created in 1833 to mark the play’s Vienna premiere the previous year, the work serves as a dramatic counterpart to the artist’s earlier “Faust in the Studierstube,” painted fifteen years before. Its impressive scale—over three meters high—underscores the emotional intensity of the final act, inviting viewers to witness the tragic clash between earthly passion and spiritual redemption. In the dimly lit cell, the rejuvenated Faust reaches toward Gretchen, who recoils with raised arms and turns instead toward the small cross on the wall. A radiant beam of light falls dramatically across her pale figure and white garments, symbolizing her turn to divine grace, while Mephisto lingers at the threshold, pulling Faust back toward the mortal world. The large canvas heightens this contrast through its theatrical lighting and expressive gestures, characteristic of early nineteenth-century Romantic history painting. Today housed in the Belvedere Collection in Vienna, the work remains a vivid testament to how Goethe’s drama inspired visual artists across Europe, transforming literary tragedy into a powerful meditation on guilt, faith, and salvation.

About the Artist

Ludwig Ferdinand Schnorr von Carolsfeld · 1788–1853

Ludwig Ferdinand Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1788–1853) was a German Romantic painter, engraver, and lithographer who spent most of his life in Vienna, becoming a pivotal figure in the city's artistic circles. Born in Königsberg to artist Veit Hanns Schnorr von Carolsfeld, he trained initially under his father before moving to Vienna at age sixteen. There, he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in 18...