Lot number 2578 - Auction 155
AUENLANDSCHAFT

KARL HAGEMEISTER 1848 Werder - 1933 ibid. RIVER LANDSCAPE Oil on canvas. 66 x 103 cm (F. 89 x 126 cm). Signed lower left 'K Hagemeister'. Verso: Label: 'Kunstsalon Abels Köln Stadtwaldgürtel 32'. Retouching. Framed. Karl Hagemeister is regarded as one of the most uncompromising innovators of German art at the turn of the century and a co-founder of the Berlin Secession. His position within art history is unique: in contrast to his contemporaries, Hagemeister deliberately chose the path of the "art hermit" (Kunsteremit). He exchanged the glamour of metropolitan galleries for years of isolation in the Marcher forests of Brandenburg. This radical withdrawal from civilization became the foundation of his method-the "studio in nature" (Atelier in der Natur). The artist often remained in silent observation for months, waiting for the perfect moment of light and atmosphere, only to finally capture it on canvas with lightning speed using the alla prima technique. Having internalised the teachings of the French Barbizon School, Hagemeister further developed their approaches toward a pure, expressive Impressionism. Characteristic of his style is a near-physical experience of the elements: he frequently worked with a palette knife, applying paint in dense, texture-oriented layers. In doing so, he created a vibrating texture that was far ahead of its time. His works are far more than mere landscapes; they are the fixation of a profound "spiritual experience" (seelisches Erlebnis), in which the boundary between realism and abstraction begins to blur. Literature: Karl Hagemeister: '... das Licht, das ewig wechselt': Landschaftsmalerei des deutschen Impressionismus, Cologne: Wienand, 2020. Provenance: Private Collection.