Leo Putz

Mr Kozel, Buenos Aires (President of the Club Alemán)
A gift from the above to the Club Alemán in 1928

The canvas has been strip-lined along the tacking edges. Overall this work is in good condition and its appearance would be greatly enhanced with a surface clean. There are some localised areas of paint shrinkage, primarily near the centre of the left and right edge and lower centre, and fine lines of craquelure in the dappled sunlight in the upper centre, and a faint horizontal stretcher mark in the centre. There is a stain in a thin vertical line in the upper right, probably an old drip in the varnish layers (not visible in the catalogue illustration, but visible on sothebys.com), which could be addressed with cleaning. Under ultraviolet light the thick, discoloured varnish entirely obscures a clear reading of the surface, however judging by the work's appearance to the naked eye it is most unlikely that any retouching would be extensive, and there are no obvious signs of restoration on the reverse. Compared with the catalogue illustration, the greens and yellows are more vibrant in reality, and the work is less red overall. Held in a simple 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."

In this halcyon, light-dappled scene, Putz draws on a subject with a long and distinguished tradition in modern French art, from the eighteenth-century fêtes champêtres of Watteau and Lancret, to Manet's seminal Déjeuner sur l'herbe (1862-3) and Monet's eponymous painting of 1865-6 (fig. 1), works which he would have admired in Paris while studying there. The Picnic relates to a painting by Putz of the same subject that he painted a year later, now in the collection of the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlung in Munich (see Helmut Putz, Leo Putz, Gauting, 1994, vol. II, p. 636, no. 259).

Putz was born in Meran (modern day Merano in Italy), then part of Austria-Hungary, but as a boy he moved with his family to Munich. He studied at the Munich Academy, and from 1891-92 at the Académie Julian in Paris under William Bouguereau and Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant. Despite his academic training, Putz was far more interested in the avant-garde subjects and impressionistic forms of expression being pioneered by his contemporaries, particularly Gauguin and Renoir, which would inform his own work.

On his return to Munich, Putz exhibited at the Munich Secession in 1895 alongside Franz von Stuck, and with Franz Erler formed the avant garde artistic group Die Scholle. He went on to become a Secessionist in Berlin and Vienna, where Gustav Klimt's figural painting had a profound influence on his work. Putz's individualistic style in turn inspired a succeeding generation of German painters, including Lovis Corinth and Edward Cucuel.