The Hermit

Charles Landseer's The Hermit (c. 1841) depicts a solitary religious figure in a wilderness setting, drawing on the Romantic era's fascination with ascetic withdrawal from society. Charles Landseer, elder brother of the far more famous Edwin Landseer, studied under his father and Benjamin Robert Haydon before specializing in historical and literary subjects. The hermit theme resonated with Victorian audiences who romanticized medieval piety and contemplative solitude, even as their own society was becoming increasingly urban and industrial.

Charles Landseer's technique shows the influence of his training under Haydon in the dramatic treatment of light and shadow, with careful attention to the textures of the hermit's rough garments and the rocky, wooded setting rendered in warm, earthy tones.