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Emil Filla
Description
- Emil Filla
- View over Gru
- signed and dated E. Filla / 1908 lower left
- oil on card
- 66 by 50cm., 26 by 19¾in.
Provenance
Exhibited
Condition
"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."
Catalogue Note
Filla visited Gru and Dubrovnik in 1908 together with his friend, the Moravian writer Josef Uher. A portrait of Uher and a number of works from the countryside around Dubrovnik were included in the second exhibition of Osma in 1908 at the Topičův salon in Prague (see Vojtech Lahoda, Emil Filla, Prague, 2007, pp.60 – 63).
According to Professor Lahoda, Filla’s landscape paintings of Gru harbour and the bays are studies of colours and their psychological effects. Colours are applied as bold planes, creating a mood rather than a naturalistic depiction of the landscape.
Emil Filla was a painter, sculptor, engraver and theorist, and played one of the most influential roles in the rise of the avant-garde in Bohemia. He was instrumental in the formation of Osma (The Eight), and exhibited in both Osma exhibitions in 1907 and 1908. From 1910-11 he was a member of the artist group S.V.U. Mánes and in 1911 co-founded the Group of Fine Artists. His later works were strongly influenced by Picasso, and it was Filla's subsequent purist interpretation of Cubism that became the hallmark of the Group of Fine Artists.