Lot 99

Václav Špála (1885 - 1946) MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPE

The ultramarine blue hue remained a hallmark of Špála’s work until the end of his life. In this composition, Václav Špála breaks free from the visible world and moves toward monumentally rendered landscape paintings; the paint is applied with expressive, cubist-like strokes, dynamically in harmony with the landscape’s spirit. From the 1920s onward, Špála made a habit of spending long summer stays in a place that captivated him and inspired his work. He was able to brilliantly paint such a place in a single sitting, directly en plein air. He was a highly prolific artist, producing between 50 and 100 paintings a year.