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In a slight haze, the tranquil evening light lies across Hamburg’s Outer Alster lake – a magical atmosphere perfect for a parade of rowing boats. Men and women from the well-to-do classes come here to relax and chat, some are manoeuvring their boats past each other on the water, but all are enjoying moments of leisure as the day draws to a close.

When he painted this work in 1910, Max Liebermann was already a renowned artist. The painting was commissioned by Alfred Lichtwark, director of the Hamburger Kunsthalle. After executing some initial studies at the Uhlenhorst ferry house, Liebermann completed this work in his Berlin studio – and did not, as might be deduced from the impressionist style, capture such momentary impressions directly at the Alster lake.

In fact, Liebermann reworked the painting a number of times. At least three versions of it are known today. He was constantly battling to balance the scene – how many details could he include without losing the atmosphere and its sense of lightness? Ultimately, Liebermann decided against a detailed depiction of individual motifs in favour of a composite design emphasising the surface of the work.

In 1913, this version of the painting was acquired for Dresden’s Gemäldegalerie. This was just the second Liebermann in its collection – even though at that time there were over 50 oil paintings by the artist in the city’s private collections.