KOLLER VIEW 3/23

11 2 3 Preview of the 19 th Century Paintings auction on 22 September 2023 Tradition and incipient modernity mille Corot and Gustave Courbet. ‘View of Venice with San Giorgio Maggiore’ is one of Aivazovsky’s fin- est paintings (ill. 1). He creates a romantic mood by bathing the scene in the warm, soft light of the set- ting sun and inviting the viewer to participate in the tête-à-tête in a gondola. A rarity in the ma- rine painter’s oeuvre is ‘Extensive landscape with ox carts’ from 1858, which depicts a scene in the steppe of his native Crimea (ill. 2). Unterberger’s impasto-painted scene of Venice captures the shimmering air of the Mediterranean summer (ill. 3). In contrast to the precision of Aivazovsky, a loose, sketch-like brushstroke characterises ‘Souvenir d'Italie’ by Corot (ill. 4). The well- planned composition and the tree creating depth in the foreground are stylistic ele- ments later adopted by the Impressionists. The play of light and shadow also points to the radical changes that were about to take place in landscape painting. With his view of the ‘Château de Chillon’, Courbet indirectly refers to his own fate: Switzerland had be- come his country of exile after he came into conflict with the French government (ill. 5) 1 Detail: Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (1817–1900). View of Venice with San Giorgio Mag- giore. 1851.Oil on canvas. 99.5 × 142.5 cm. Estimate: CHF 1 000 000/1 500 000 2 I van Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (1817–1900). Ex- tensive landscape with ox carts. 1858. Oil on canvas. 98.3 × 146.3 cm. Estimate: CHF 200 000/300 000 3 F ranz Richard Unterberger (1838–1902). Il Molo, Venezia. Oil on canvas. 82.5 × 70.5 cm. Estimate: CHF 50 000/70 000 4 J ean-Baptiste Camille Corot (1796–1875). Souvenir d'Italie. Oil on canvas. 24.5 × 32.5 cm. Estimate: CHF 80 000/100 000 5 G ustave Courbet (1819–1877). Château de Chillon. Oil on canvas. 100 × 81.2 cm. Estimate: CHF 40 000/60 000 Our 22 September auction showcases the meeting of two parallel currents of 19 th century painting: on the one hand, traditionalist landscape paintings by Ivan Aivazovsky and Franz Richard Unterberger, and on the other, trend-setting plein air painting by Ca- 4 5 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 19 TH CENTURY PAINTINGS Karoline Weser weser@kollerauctions.com ONLINE CATALOGUES www.kollerauctions.com