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Lot Essay
The present picture is related to an oil painting executed by Liebermann in about 1897 which is known from a photograph taken in his atelier two years later. Sadly, according to Eberle, this related oil is now lost.
The subject of the present pastel is also connected to a painting of 1898, now in a private collection, entitled Schulgang in Laaren. Liebermann spent the summer of 1897 and 1898 in Laaren, a small village in Holland. Schulgang in Laaren, like the present picture, depicts the children of the village going to school. Hans Ostwald points out that Liebermann loved to paint children, "Liebermann hat es oft in seinen Reden und Schriften gesagt, dass sein Ideal darin besteht, das Leben wiederzugeben. Er will nicht die Natur kopieren, sondern das Lebendige in ihr zum Bilde gestalten.[...]. Kein Wunder, dass unser Knstler gerade fr die Darstellung des Kindes eine besondere Vorliebe hat, denn im Kinde zeigt sich die Natur unverfälschter als im Erwachsenen." (H.Ostwald, Das Liebermann-Buch, Berlin, 1930, pp. 257-8).
Soon after executing this pastel, Liebermann turned away from these naturalistic themes inspired by the Barbizon school and Dutch painting, towards subjects heavily influenced by French Impressionism which also had a strong influence on his painting method which became considerably looser and more colourist.
The subject of the present pastel is also connected to a painting of 1898, now in a private collection, entitled Schulgang in Laaren. Liebermann spent the summer of 1897 and 1898 in Laaren, a small village in Holland. Schulgang in Laaren, like the present picture, depicts the children of the village going to school. Hans Ostwald points out that Liebermann loved to paint children, "Liebermann hat es oft in seinen Reden und Schriften gesagt, dass sein Ideal darin besteht, das Leben wiederzugeben. Er will nicht die Natur kopieren, sondern das Lebendige in ihr zum Bilde gestalten.[...]. Kein Wunder, dass unser Knstler gerade fr die Darstellung des Kindes eine besondere Vorliebe hat, denn im Kinde zeigt sich die Natur unverfälschter als im Erwachsenen." (H.Ostwald, Das Liebermann-Buch, Berlin, 1930, pp. 257-8).
Soon after executing this pastel, Liebermann turned away from these naturalistic themes inspired by the Barbizon school and Dutch painting, towards subjects heavily influenced by French Impressionism which also had a strong influence on his painting method which became considerably looser and more colourist.