Work group I · 13 works
Wilderness in Light
Realistic animal and landscape painting in oil
In this group of works, Erich Graf shows himself as the realist he is internationally known as. A grizzly and two bald eagles by a river in Alaska, a herd of elephants before Kilimanjaro, a lioness and a cheetah at full stride, a lynx in a snowy forest: every scene is closely observed and painted in oil with great craftsmanship.
The real subject is light. Morning haze in the rainforest, evening gold on the wings of a swan over the North Sea, cold winter light in the fur of lynx and wolf: Graf paints not only animals but moods in which animal and landscape become a whole.
Landscape and Encounter
Painting
Erich Graf Schwanenflug über der Nordsee (Swans in Flight over the North Sea)
Price on requestCertificate
Through the Animal’s Eyes
Curatorial Perspective
I
Description
Fifteen oil paintings, from the large landscape format “Scene in Alaska” (90 × 120 cm) and “Jagende Löwin” (70 × 120 cm) to the small, concentrated “Wolfsportrait” (40 × 50 cm). Fur, feathers, water and vegetation are worked out in fine detail; sky, mist, dust and backlight create depth and atmosphere.
II
Idea
Graf understands the animal as part of its landscape. The leopard surveys its territory, the lion in “I am the Chief” roars into the night, and the lioness and cheetah show the moment of greatest tension. These are pictures about presence, territory and respect for nature—without drama and without kitsch.
III
Context
The works stand in the tradition of wildlife art, which reaches from the naturalist painting of the nineteenth century to contemporary realists. Graf is one of its most distinguished German representatives: in 2025, Wildlife Art Magazine named him among the world’s best animal painters.
IV
What sets it apart
The group is divided into two chapters. “Landscape and Encounter” shows wide scenes in which animals and nature work together, from the savanna to the surf. “Through the Animal’s Eyes” brings the animal itself to the fore: lion, leopard, lynx, eagle and wolf as concentrated portraits in their habitat.
V
For collectors & spaces
Works of timeless quality for collections that value masterful technique: living and working spaces, law firms, hunting lodges and country houses, hotels and companies connected to nature and heritage. Graf’s works are held in private and public collections in Europe and overseas.