Lot number 2351 - Auction 150
LAGERNDE SÖLDNER, 1914

HANS KOHLSCHEIN 1879 Dusseldorf - 1948 Warburg RESTING MERCENARIES, 1914 Oil on canvas. 71 x 75 cm (f. 82 x 86 cm). Signed and dated lower right. Framed. While in 1904 Kohlschein's painting of the Gordon Bennett Cup captured the contemporary fascination with speed and technological innovation, the outbreak of the First World War soon revealed the darker side of modernity. Accredited as a war artist, Kohlschein documented life on both the Western and Eastern Fronts in numerous works, portraying the daily realities of war and the destinies of various social groups - from soldiers and prisoners to market scenes and religious processions. The 1914 painting Resting Mercenaries stands as a key example of this artistic turning point, recording the stark realities of life at the front and illustrating the abrupt shift from optimism in progress to the sobering experiences of wartime.