Lot Details
Lot 131
Frits Thaulow
Norwegian, 1847 - 1906
LANDSCAPE WITH COWS BY A STREAM
Signed Frits Thaulow (lr)
Oil on canvas
18 x 21 3/4 inches (46 x 52.5 cm.)
With the original intention of becoming a marine painter, Thaulow enrolled at the art academy in Copenhagen after which he spent two years at Karlsruhe under the tutelage of Hans Gude and then on to Paris from 1875 - 1879. His depictions of marine subjects, some of which were accepted at the Paris salon, were met with lukewarm enthusiasm from the critics. However, his exposure to the current trends that were developing in French art, especially French Realism, had a profound effect on the artist. He believed that these influences should be incorporated into Norwegian art.
Thaulow spent the years 1879 - 92 in Norway which proved to be important for the development of art in his homeland. His interpretation of the Norwegian landscape was seen to have been a departure from the influence of the German Romantic school which had been a defining movement for decades. The influence of French en plein air painting was infiltrating the studios of Oslo.
Upon his return to his native city, Thaulow was hailed as Oslo's foremost painter and his evocations of the city came to epitomize its distinctive character. He exhibited regularly at the Salon du Champ de Mars and at the Exposition Universal of 1889. It is recorded that he painted over fifty paintings that year, mostly evocations of rivers which were painted with great skill.
Painted circa 1896 from the village of Ancourt near Dieppe, this work demonstrates the virtuosity with which Thaulow had developed the subtle play of water and light within his landscapes. The main version, dated 1897, hangs in the Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh and measures 29 x 36 inches (sold Parke-Bernet, New York, April 19th, 1948). Another two versions were sold at Sotheby's, London, April 19th, 1978, lot 133 and Sotheby's, New York, May 26th, 1994, lot 286.
We would like to thank Prof. Vidar Poulsson for confirming the attribution on the basis of photographs.
Additional Notes & Condition Report
No condition report? Click here to request one.