Idle Peter (1890)

"Idle Peter" (1890) is a work by Lothar Meggendorfer. Context for 1890: Japanese prints reached Europe in large numbers and influenced many artists, while photography changed what painting needed to do. In the 1890s, colour lithography and Art Nouveau made the illustrated poster a celebrated art form. Background on Illustration: The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are often described as a golden age of book and magazine illustration. Illustration serves a text or a story, a tradition that runs from decorated medieval manuscripts to printed book plates, magazines, and posters. It is listed in the Illustration collection. The image is in portrait orientation.

On onlly.art "Idle Peter" is sold as a digital download (Digital JPEG + PDF files, 300 DPI). The files are delivered by email after payment, so nothing is shipped: you print locally, choosing the paper, size, and frame yourself. A portrait format suits narrow wall spaces, hallways, and the area beside a door or window. Before printing, compare the proportions of the file with your frame so that nothing important is cropped. Choosing a standard frame size and printing to fit it often saves the cost of custom framing. Screens and printers render colour differently, so a small test print is a sensible way to check tones before committing to a large size. Hang the print away from direct sunlight, which over the years can fade any printed colour.

German, 1847–1925

If you like the visual language of Lothar Meggendorfer, explore more works by the same artist in our collection.