Franz Skarbina

Private Collection, Berlin

Grisebach Berlin, 28 May 2011, lot 244

Private Collection, Northern Germany (acquired at the above sale)

Acquired by descent from the above by the present owner

• An atmospheric christmas scene executed by one of Berlin's leading Impressionists.
• The subject matter is highly engaging, capturing the energy of 19th-century public life.
• Demonstrates the artist's handling of pastel to render effects of artificial light and winter atmosphere.

Weihnachtsmarkt is an immediately engaging work that draws the viewer into the energy of a late 19th-century urban market scene. Skarbina employs a rapid, suggestive handling of the pastel medium to convey the palpable chill of the winter evening, contrasting the twilight atmosphere with the glow of the lamplight. The composition’s focus rests powerfully on a blonde young girl at the center, actively offering her items for sale. Behind her and to the left, the silhouettes of Christmas trees contributes to the overall gloomy background, while an elegant woman and her child approach the girl.

This work is a quintessential example of the artist’s known style, subject, and technique. Skarbina was celebrated as the pre-eminent chronicler of Berlin’s street life during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, often choosing evocative public settings like markets, theatres, and cafés. His decision to work in pastel, a medium favored by French Impressionists, allowed him to achieve the luminosity and spontaneous observation necessary to depict these scenes. Weihnachtsmarkt perfectly illustrates his ability to combine a specific, genre-like subject with an advanced, almost dissolving Impressionist technique, making him a pivotal figure in the development of German modern art.

Franz Skarbina's status as a figure of Berlin Impressionism is frequently confirmed through institutional exhibition programs. His works are integral to collections focusing on 19th-century European painting, often being included in major surveys, such as those presented by the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin and other German state museums.