4522 - Erwin Vollmer, attributed, Southern European Couple

Erwin Vollmer, attributed, Southern European Couple in the foreground, a man and a woman; in the background to the left, several women in traditional dress waiting, behind them an arcaded passage; the clothing suggests a Mediterranean setting, possibly in the Balkans or southern Italy; a sketch-like, unfinished version; there is an identical work to this painting which was completed and attributed to the German artist Erwin Vollmer (this painting was most recently offered on the art market by Leonard Joel, Melbourne, auction 13 April 2017, lot 3053, Source: Invaluable); this may be a second version that was never completed. The work’s intrigue stems from the fact that the creative process is visible through the red underdrawing, and the artist also drew a frame in pencil, which he originally intended to use to reduce the size of the painting, Oil on hardboard, unsigned, unmarked, edges bumped, in need of restoration, inner dimensions 60.5 x 60.5 cm. Artist information: German artist (1884 in Berlin - 1973 in Rehlingen/Lüneburg), studied in Charlottenburg and Weimar, under Ludwig von Hofmann and Sascha Schneider, amongst others; lived in Rehlingen from 1908; member of the German Artists’ Association; close friendships with Willy Preetorius and Otto Illies; the central themes of his work are heathland landscapes and figures rendered in a style inspired by Art Nouveau, as he had learnt from Hofmann. Source: Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon Online.