FRANTIŠEK KUPKA | ÉTUDE POUR SOLEIL D’AUTOMNE

Collection Albin Schram, Switzerland

Thence by descent to the present owners

This sketch is a study for František Kupka’s Symbolist masterpiece Soleil d’automne, in the National Gallery, Prague; another oil version is housed in the collection of the Centre Pompidou, Paris. Soleil d’automne depicts three goddesses basking in the light of the autumn sun, partly sheltered in the dappled shade of an apple tree. 1906 was a pivotal year for Kupka, he settled in a suburb outside of Paris and for the first time was asked to exhibit in the esteemed Salon d’Automne, which in title bears an uncanny resemblance to his magnificent painting. The work calls upon Kupka’s training in Vienna, where he concentrated on symbolic and allegorical subjects. This sketch depicts the beautiful and languorous central figure, whose contrapposto pose encapsulates a sense of quiet confidence.