Lot number 2346 - Auction 155
LANDSCHAFT MIT HÜTTE AUF EINEM HÜGEL

CARL BLECHEN (ATTRIBUTED) 1798 Cottbus - 1840 Berlin LANDSCAPE WITH A HUT ON A HILL Pencil on paper. Sheet size: 20 x 27 cm. Verso: Estate stamp of G. v. Decker. Partially foxed/stained. Judging by the execution, this drawing bears a close affinity to the works of Carl Blechen from the period of his Italian journey. It demonstrates his characteristic treatment of negative space: the hilly landscape is only vaguely indicated, allowing the whiteness of the paper to become an active element of the composition. The drawing itself is rendered with a very fine, delicate graphite stroke devoid of superfluous decorativeness, which directs the viewer's eye entirely toward the crest of the hill featuring the hut and the figures of shepherds. Precisely these qualities-the sparse linework and the skill in working with "emptiness"-are identified by Blechen specialists as a precursor to aesthetic modernism. The work eschews idealized romanticism and presents as an honest nature study, fully consistent with the artist's authentic style.