Carl Gustav Rodde specialised in picturesque landscapes that celebrated an idealised vision of rural life. He adored the countryside and often chose to depict scenic views with the sun at its most dramatic.

He studied at the Düsseldorf Art Academy under Johann Wilhelm Schirmer and Hans Fredrik Gude. He’s known to have painted in the rural areas around Weimar, Danzig, Düsseldorf and Berlin and also spent time in Italy where he met his wife in 1860.