Edward Cucuel American, 1875-1951

Acquired by the great uncle of the present owner in 1913; thence by descent in the family

Original canvas. There are a few very minor scattered specks of retouching and apart from some faint craquelure the paint surface is in good overall condition with bright colours and areas of fine impasto. Held in a plaster moulded gilt frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present work epitomises Cucuel's lakeside pictures, painted on the shores of the Starnbergersee, where he and his family summered at their holiday home from 1917. Cucuel's property fronted the lake, with its own private jetty. Capturing a serene moment of feminine grace, An Outing by Boat and works like it were eagerly received, evoking as they did a wholesome world when much of Europe was at war.

Cucuel was born in San Francisco, where he studied at the San Francisco School of Design and worked for the local newspapers The Examiner and Call. He continued his training in Paris in the 1880s, at the Academie Colorossi and the Academie Julian, and finally at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. It was in Paris that he developed a successful career as a free-lance illustrator for several European journals, including Le Figaro, L'Illustration, The Illustrated London News, and Illustrierte Zeitung. In 1899 he moved to Berlin where he met his future wife, the artist Clare Lotte von Marcard.

Cucuel began focusing on painting in 1907, after meeting the Impressionist painter Leo Putz. The two artists spent summers together at Putz's Hartmannsdorf Castle, where they hired models to pose for them in the grounds of the estate. Later, Cucuel moved his studio to Munich, by now enjoying huge success in Germany as the painter of fashionably dressed young women boating, picnicking, and bathing in the outdoors. Though an American, he adopted Germany as his home.