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Lot Essay
Sold with a photo-certificate from Professor Dr. Hans-Jürgen Imiela, dated Mainz, den 15. August 2000.
The present work, painted in the summer of 1913, belongs to a key period in the artist's oeuvre and the development of German Impressionism. It was between 1909 and 1913, Slevogt's so-called Godramstein period, that he attained the luminosity that was to become characteristic of his later painting. Crucial to this development was Slevogt's visit to the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900, in which he was represented by his large-scale painting Scheherezade. More importantly, it was here that Slevogt was impressed by French Impressionism and in Manet's work in particular, saw, as he himself put it, 'what makes the world so beautiful.' Inspired by these liberating ideas, Slevogt moved to Berlin and entered the art scene of the capital already distinguished by the royal title of Professor bestowed upon him by the Prince Regent Luitpold, and in 1901 painted Sommermorgen - Frau mit Sonnenschirm (now in the Max Slevogt Gallery, Villa Ludwigshöhe, Germany) at Neukastel which was immediately shown the following year at the Berlin Secession.
The influence of Impressionism on Slevogt's work peaked in the years between 1910 to 1914, years which also represented a high point in German Impressionism. Paintings from this period encapsulate all those qualities of light, colour and atmosphere which had been so important to the French Impressionists and can been seen to great effect in the present work and in Park in Godramstein mit blaugedecktem Tisch, 1912 (fig. 1) depicting a different view of the garden and pond at the Godramstein villa. The paint surface of Auffindung des Moses is at once carefully constructed and extemporary in appearance. The studied side-by-side application of highly-layered colours are complemented by the turbulent impasto throughout. Slevogt also uses the palette knife to apply paint thickly to give texture to the leaves and reeds and emphasise the contrast between shade and light. He enhances this further by leaving patches of bare canvas to show through the paint surface in imitation of dappled sunlight. Antonie, whom he married in 1898, provided the model for the female figure kneeling by the water's edge. The figure represents Pharaoh's daughter who, according to the biblical story, found the infant Moses afloat on the Nile in a reed basket daubed with pitch.
The Godramstein villa, from where this period of Slevogt's work gets its name, belonged to Antonie's parents, the Finklers. Slevogt had spent his summers here between 1909 and 1913 after which, due to financial difficulties, the villa was sold. Slevogt's experiments with light and colour during the Godramstein period continued when, in 1914, Slevogt went on a trip to Egypt with his friends Johannes Guthmann and Edward Fuchs. In Egypt, Slevogt's most recent experiences of light at Godramstein were translated into twenty-one paintings and numerous watercolours which constitute some of the most important pictures in German Impressionist painting. On his return from Egypt, Slevogt took possession of another of the Finklers' properties, Neukastel, a painting of which is included in this sale as lot 37.
We would like to thank Professor Dr. Hans-Jürgen Imiela for his assistance in cataloguing this work.
The present work, painted in the summer of 1913, belongs to a key period in the artist's oeuvre and the development of German Impressionism. It was between 1909 and 1913, Slevogt's so-called Godramstein period, that he attained the luminosity that was to become characteristic of his later painting. Crucial to this development was Slevogt's visit to the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900, in which he was represented by his large-scale painting Scheherezade. More importantly, it was here that Slevogt was impressed by French Impressionism and in Manet's work in particular, saw, as he himself put it, 'what makes the world so beautiful.' Inspired by these liberating ideas, Slevogt moved to Berlin and entered the art scene of the capital already distinguished by the royal title of Professor bestowed upon him by the Prince Regent Luitpold, and in 1901 painted Sommermorgen - Frau mit Sonnenschirm (now in the Max Slevogt Gallery, Villa Ludwigshöhe, Germany) at Neukastel which was immediately shown the following year at the Berlin Secession.
The influence of Impressionism on Slevogt's work peaked in the years between 1910 to 1914, years which also represented a high point in German Impressionism. Paintings from this period encapsulate all those qualities of light, colour and atmosphere which had been so important to the French Impressionists and can been seen to great effect in the present work and in Park in Godramstein mit blaugedecktem Tisch, 1912 (fig. 1) depicting a different view of the garden and pond at the Godramstein villa. The paint surface of Auffindung des Moses is at once carefully constructed and extemporary in appearance. The studied side-by-side application of highly-layered colours are complemented by the turbulent impasto throughout. Slevogt also uses the palette knife to apply paint thickly to give texture to the leaves and reeds and emphasise the contrast between shade and light. He enhances this further by leaving patches of bare canvas to show through the paint surface in imitation of dappled sunlight. Antonie, whom he married in 1898, provided the model for the female figure kneeling by the water's edge. The figure represents Pharaoh's daughter who, according to the biblical story, found the infant Moses afloat on the Nile in a reed basket daubed with pitch.
The Godramstein villa, from where this period of Slevogt's work gets its name, belonged to Antonie's parents, the Finklers. Slevogt had spent his summers here between 1909 and 1913 after which, due to financial difficulties, the villa was sold. Slevogt's experiments with light and colour during the Godramstein period continued when, in 1914, Slevogt went on a trip to Egypt with his friends Johannes Guthmann and Edward Fuchs. In Egypt, Slevogt's most recent experiences of light at Godramstein were translated into twenty-one paintings and numerous watercolours which constitute some of the most important pictures in German Impressionist painting. On his return from Egypt, Slevogt took possession of another of the Finklers' properties, Neukastel, a painting of which is included in this sale as lot 37.
We would like to thank Professor Dr. Hans-Jürgen Imiela for his assistance in cataloguing this work.