EMIL FILLA | Still Life with Pears

Private collection, Prague
Purchased by the present owner in Prague in 2003

Prague, SVU Mánes (stamp on the reverse)

The panel has been cradled. It appears flat, even, and ensuring a stable support. There is some minor frame rubbing along the extreme left framing edge, covered by the frame. With the exception of one minor spot of cosmetic retouching in the far upper left corner, visible under ultra-violet light, this work appears to be in good original condition and is ready to hang. Presented glazed, in a simple grey 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."

Painted in 1922, the present work displays Emil Filla’s approach to Picasso’s and Braque’s synthetic cubism to which the artist had been exposed during his extensive travels to Paris, between 1911 and 1914. Characterised by the use of flat surfaces, sharp edges, and oblique lines, Still Life with Pears is typical of the artist’s favoured technique of incorporating everyday objects in his compositions. Filla pioneered an idiosyncratic Czech national style at the confluence of European modern art movements. This so-called ‘Cubo-Expressionism’ synthesised the troubled spiritual atmosphere of central Europe, as exemplified by Edvard Munch and the Die Brücke artists, with the pictorial structure of the Paris Cubists. It soon became the hallmark of the group Osma (The Eight) and the Group of Fine Artists, co-founded by Filla in 1911. Filla was at the epicentre of the avant-garde in Bohemia, and it is predominantly as a result of his impact that Prague has come to be recognised as the second most important centre for Cubism after Paris.

By the end of the 1920s, Filla had joined the S.V.U. Mánes group and was adopting a more orthodox Cubist technique to deconstruct the surrounding world, evident in Still life with Pears. In such works, the artist moves away from the metaphysical and focuses on expressing his affinity for the concrete and physical realm.