Lot 58

Adolf Chwala (1836 - 1900) ROMANTIC LANDSCAPE WITH A BROOK

Adolf Chwala’s work was most influenced by the Max Haushofer school at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. After moving to Vienna, alpine motifs started to appear in his work in 1860; by the 1870s they entirely dominated his oeuvre. He paints the rippling landscape with hills, bluffs and streams winding through the valley with meticulous accuracy. Chwala’s adept experimentation with light envelopes the painting in ambience and stylization. The hills in the distance, shrouded in a pastel mist, show clear outlines of trees; on the right is an interesting detail of a figure walking along a path between the houses and a field of golden grain. The stones in the river are painted with tangible realism. An expert assessment of the work has been prepared by PhDr. Naděžda Blažíčková-Horová. Publ.: Š. Leubnerová: Adolf Chwala. Exhibition catalogue, National Gallery in Prague, 2011, p. 64.