Property from a Belgian Private Collection
Léon Frédéric
Sunset
Lot Closed
June 13, 02:02 PM GMT
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 EUR
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Description
Léon Frédéric
Brussels 1856 - 1940 Schaerbeek
Sunset
Oil on panel
Signed and dated lower right Léon Frederic / 1909.
32,2 x 47,8 cm ; 12⅝ by 18⅞ in.
Born in Brussels in 1856, Léon Frédéric studied in the city at the Académie Royale des Beaux-arts and with Jean-François Portaels, before visiting Italy in 1878 and 1879. This stay had a profound impact on him and his work was influenced by the Italian Primitives. By 1909, the date of the present painting, the artist was already known and admired by his contemporaries: twenty years later he was given the title of baron, at the same time as his compatriot James Ensor.
In this painting, the figure of the young girl evokes the gentle simplicity of works by the Italian Primitives. She makes a gesture that recalls a blessing and wears drapery resembling an angel’s gown. Alone in a deeply peaceful verdant landscape, the young girl’s figure has an esoteric and poetic quality, placing the artist at the heart of the Belgian Symbolist movement.