885 - Heinz Maiwald, Winter Village View with Stone Bridge and Church Tower, dated 1947

Heinz Maiwald, Winter Village View with Stone Bridge and Church Tower, dated 1947 Oil/canvas, signed 'Heinz Maiwald' and dated 47 lower right. Winter view of a village: a wide stone arch bridge with four visible arches crosses a frozen, snow-covered river, with an open flight of steps down to the bank on its right side. Behind it a row of snow-covered roofs, on the left a white building with a tall slate-covered tower and lantern, on the right a red half-timbered house. Bare deciduous trees with finely branched crowns stand behind the bridge. Felled logs lie in the snowy foreground. The sky in pale blue with light clouds. Age-appropriate condition, canvas slightly dented, soiled, craquelure, right edge with irregularities in the canvas. Image 59.5 x 79.5 cm (HxW). Framed, frame bumped, frame width 6.5 cm. Winter village views were among the most sought-after subjects of the first post-war years: they showed an intact, familiar homeland and could be developed in the studio from sketches without costly materials. The combination of stone bridge, watercourse and rising tower follows a pictorial formula used since the 19th century for the depiction of historic townscapes. The felled logs in the foreground point to the firewood economy of the period and give the view a documentary quality.