- 3
František Foltýn
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
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Description
- Franti�ek Folt�n
- View of Košice
- signed FOLTYN / VR23 lower right
- oil on canvas
- 69.5 by 84cm., 27¼ by 33in.
Provenance
Acquired in New Jersey, late 1990s
Condition
The canvas has been strip-lined. There are areas of drying craquelure notably in the darker hues and in the thick impasto. There are some stretcher marks visible, corresponding to the right and left stretcher bar, with some associated craquelure. Ultra-violet light reveals spots of retouching in the far top left corner, along the lower and right framing edges, some fine lines along the stretcher mark to the right, and some other scattered spots including three above the right pole towards the centre of the composition (three small patches on the revers, the biggest measuring 4 by 5 cm, L-shaped).
The picture is otherwise in good condition and ready to hang.
Presented in a simple wooden 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 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
Painted in 1923, View of Košice dates from the early days of Foltýn’s career, when, having returned from the front, he settled in Brno and had his first exhibition at the Museum of East Slovakia in February 1922. Typical of his early compositions are Cezannesque semi-rural landscapes with glimpses of modernity, such as the present one, where electricity poles are visible along the bridge in Košice, Slovakia.
During the 19th Century, Košice underwent important transformation. By the 1840s there were over 460 workshops, sugar and nail factories, a railway, and the first telegram message arrived in 1856. To locals, this must have been a huge change which not only affected the city’s landscape, but also the economy and people’s way of life. Like some other views of Košice from the same period (fig. 1), the present work presents the city at the centre of the composition, hewn in by the dramatic mountains and cloud- filled sky of the background and the trees in the foreground. It is depicted as a place devoid of human life. These dark urban peripheries were Foltyn’s response to a wider international movement which developed mainly in Germany and was known as New Objectivity.
Foltyn moved to Paris in 1924, and during his ten years in the French capital mainly produced geometric-abstract pictures. It was only when he settled back in Brno in 1934/35 that he returned to a more realistic representation of urban landscapes.
During the 19th Century, Košice underwent important transformation. By the 1840s there were over 460 workshops, sugar and nail factories, a railway, and the first telegram message arrived in 1856. To locals, this must have been a huge change which not only affected the city’s landscape, but also the economy and people’s way of life. Like some other views of Košice from the same period (fig. 1), the present work presents the city at the centre of the composition, hewn in by the dramatic mountains and cloud- filled sky of the background and the trees in the foreground. It is depicted as a place devoid of human life. These dark urban peripheries were Foltyn’s response to a wider international movement which developed mainly in Germany and was known as New Objectivity.
Foltyn moved to Paris in 1924, and during his ten years in the French capital mainly produced geometric-abstract pictures. It was only when he settled back in Brno in 1934/35 that he returned to a more realistic representation of urban landscapes.