Natural phenomena such as the four seasons have always been part of human experience and are coming to the fore increasingly in the wake of current climatic changes. Present in art since antiquity, the motif reached the peak of its popularity in the 18th and early 19th centuries. At the same time, a change in its conception and mode of representation can be observed. This publication focuses on these processes of revision and detachment from conventional ideas and, using selected examples of works by William Hogarth, Jean-Antoine Houdon, Caspar David Friedrich and Bertel Thorvaldsen, explores the transformation of the image of the seasons in the face of increasing scientification, an altered experience of nature, and an enlightened understanding of the world. - First monographic study of the subject Precise presentation on the basis of four selected examples of works across genres and countries References to Enlightenment research, literature, music and natural sciences

Friederike Voßkamp, research associate and head of collection at the LVR Max Ernst Museum Brühl