Nikolai von Astudin (1847–1925), Russian painter of art and landscapes, is considered an important renewer of Rhine romanticism. In his adopted home Lahnstein, where he lived from 1912 until his death, a comprehensive exhibition is being dedicated to him on the occasion of his 101st death anniversary.

An in work between canvas and postcard

Astudin's predominantly landscape motifs are mostly found in private collections today. His works became known to a wider audience mainly through tourism: His paintings of the Rhine Valley from Mainz to Cologne, his images of the Lahn from Lahnstein to Limburg, as well as depictions of the front Eifel and the Nahe were published starting in 1904 by the Cologne publishing house Hoursch & Bechstedt as postcard series and foldable leporello albums, both in color and in copper plate printing. In 1923, the album "Pictures of the Rhine" was released with numerous reproductions of his paintings, which was reissued several times. The Astudin postcards were partially sold well into the 1960s, especially to travelers.

Childhood and artistic development

Much has been speculated about the childhood of the aristocrat's son born on July 9, 1847, near Moscow. Whether he actually carried a noble name is not confirmed. He himself signs his paintings as "N. Astudin," thus without the noble predicate "von". After his education in St. Petersburg, he traveled independently across large parts of Europe. Influential for his style was the instruction by the Parisian watercolorist Professor Cassagne (1862-1864), where he learned the mastery of color mixing.

Schloss Martinsburg in Lahnstein, oil on linen painted by Nikolai von Astudin (private collection)

The next years of study he spent in Berlin and Bonn, but he also had temporary residences in other German cities such as Munich, Kassel, and Halle. His own exhibitions are documented for Berlin (1876-1878), Zurich (1885), and Paris (1890).

In Munich, he met the painter Carl Rottmann, whose influence was initially noticeable. He also became acquainted with the picturesque realism of Eduard Schleich and the cheerful imagery of Carl Spitzweg, without directly adopting their style. Rather, Astudin developed a unique, unmistakable visual language, finding inspirations, among others, in Finland, the Alpine region, and Italy. After several years in Kassel, his path led him downstream along the Lahn to Nieder- and Oberlahnstein via Gießen and Wetzlar.

A couple of artists in Lahnstein

During his travels, he met Johanna Meineke (1869-1928), a painter of animals with poetic ambitions, who hailed from Braubach. They married in 1896 in Alexandrowno near Thorn. After years in Kassel and Bonn, the couple established their domicile in Oberlahnstein in 1912, where they built their own artist house with studio in Gymnasialstraße in 1915.

Exhibition in Lahnstein starting April 11

The exhibition featuring Astudin's oil paintings and watercolors will take place from April 11 to May 3, 2026, in the Nassau-Sporkenburger Hof. A total of 38 original works, most of which are currently in private ownership, will be presented.

Anyone interested is cordially invited to the opening on Saturday, April 11 at 11:00 AM. On the opening day, the exhibition will be open continuously until 8:00 PM. Regular opening hours are Wednesdays from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM, Sundays from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, and one hour before the start of theater events.