Color and Light in the Writings of Eduard Von Keyserling

This study of Eduard von Keyserling’s (1855-1918) fiction and art criticism provides the reader with not only a thorough understanding of color and light in the author’s works but also brief comparisons of the use of these elements among some of Keyserling’s German and Danish contemporaries. Various purposes behind color and light imagery are defined and illustrated across von Keyserling’s writings, with a subsequent review of stylistic techniques and descriptive objects that are most prominently allied to colors and light. A concluding summary of various aspects of the investigation calls into question the appropriateness of the Impressionist label for von Keyserling and the theory that his going blind had significant impact on the visual imagery in his work.