Times of Day

drawings by Runge

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June 17, 2026

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Philipp Otto Runge, a German Romantic painter, created the drawing series Times of Day in 1803. This series comprises four allegorical works representing morning, midday, evening, and night. It also symbolizes the four seasons and the human life cycle: birth, maturity, decline, and death.1

Runge was influenced by Romantic ideals of subjectivity and emotional expression, moving away from the rational Neoclassical style. He was particularly inspired by mysticism and the divine energy in nature. The Times of Day series was published in 1805 and gained favor with writer Goethe. Runge only managed to complete Morning as an oil painting before his death in 1810.1

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Philipp Otto Runge
…his cycle of drawings titled Times of Day in 1803, a series of four allegorical works that represent morning, midday, evening, and night as well as the four seasons and the life cycle—birth, maturity, decline, death. The cycle was published in a limited edition of 25 sets in 1805 (and…
Read More
…his cycle of drawings titled Times of Day in 1803, a series of four allegorical works that represent morning, midday, evening, and night as well as the four seasons and the life cycle—birth, maturity, decline, death. The cycle was published in a limited edition of 25 sets in 1805 (and…
Read More