At the spring well

Deep within a dense forest, dappled sunlight falls upon a quiet spring. Children bend low, playing in the clear, pristine water.

In the German Empire of the early twentieth century, a swift wave of industrialization and urbanization swept across the country. Amidst this upheaval, the Heimatkunst—or regional art movement—emerged, calling for a return to nature. In 1899, Hans Thoma was appointed director of the Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, revered as the movement’s spiritual pillar. Throughout his life, he returned again and again to the landscapes of his native Bernau: mountain streams and quiet, "little brown brooks."

The home where he grew up had a deep shingled roof and weathered wooden walls that had aged into rich, time-honored hues. Beside it lay a small enclosed flowerbed and a spring-fed well, forever brimming with water. It was around this very well that Thoma shared cherished memories with his mother, whom he revered as "unchanging goodness." Using handmade wooden models, his loving mother taught him astronomy—explaining the orbital motions of the Earth and the Moon—in lessons that ultimately forged his view of the cosmos and the natural world.