The last few twists and turns of a strangely calm river give way to the suburbs of the biggest city along the Moseltal - Coblence ( Koblenz ) . With one eye on the Moselle to my left, l had to navigate the route that would lead me to the end of this one major river at the junction of another, the Rhine, at the Deutsches Eck.
Here at the confluence of the two, just after the ancient Mosel bridge, space opens up. There is activity in every sense of the word; boats and cruisers on both waters, crowds along the promenade, the cable car overhead, and across the hypnotic mix of two different water courses, over on the east bank, the fortress called Ehrenbreitstein.
This UNESCO World Heritage Site was built between 1817 and 1828 by the Prussians on the site of the original fortifications destroyed by Napoleon's troops. Turner, first visiting here in 1824,would have not seen it in its finished state, but it has remained intact and untouched since then. Taking the cable car trip across the Rhine - a 10 minute trip well worth the price - it offers exceptional views of the Deutsches Eck below, the Mosel stretching back towards the city of Koblenz, and panoramic views both upstream and downstream of the even wider Rhine.
Deutsches Eck ? The ' German Corner', a wide jetty imagined by the Kaiser Wilhelm, whose over-sized statue dominates the point. Monumental, germanic, and not - even at the time - to everybody's taste.
Like Turner, l found this spot visually and historically rich. I accumulated sketches both in brilliant sunlight and by warm evening light from various viewpoints - from the quai, from Deutsches Eck itself, from the cable car, and from up on Ehrenbreitstein itself. On a second visit this same year, a sortie into the centre to draw the Basilica of St.Castor and the Liebfrauenkirche ( the Church of Our Lady / Notre Dame )
Monoprint / monotype
Ehrenbreitstein by JMW TURNER
Ehrenbreitstein from Deutsches Eck 2 etchings / gravures each 7 x 7 cm
Contemplating the strange cross-current of Mosel and Rhein at Deutsches Eck ...
Late 2024, back upstream and in the studio, a few etchings and paintings started to happen. The blog, and a maquette of an eventual book on this year-long undertaking, has taken time too.
2025 will be a year where more paintings of the Mosel / Moselle are made, l'm certain.
And a return visit, from A to Z ( or at least a few hundred km ) but mostly by boat. I think l may deserve that luxury.
Thankyou, as the year ends, for following.
W.
31 / 12 / 24
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