7076 - Kutter, Joseph

Kutter, Joseph Saint Sebastian Oil on canvas. Circa 1919. 83.5 x 57.3 cm. Signed “Kutter” in black with a brush in the lower left corner; signed “Kutter” again in light blue with a brush on the reverse of the canvas, along with the address “Munich, Konradstr. 5 III”; on the stretcher with fragments of a Munich stamp and additional round official stamps; on the frame with fragments of an old paper adhesive label from the Glaspalast in Munich bearing the typographic number “4562.” Not listed in Koltz/Thill. The prominent Luxembourgish Expressionist Josef Kutter spent the years 1919–24 in Munich, where he married the young Rosalie Sedlmayer in 1919. That same year, six of his works were exhibited at the Glaspalast in Munich: a significant self-portrait, two nudes, two still lifes, and a “Saint Sebastian” (cat. no. 1599), in oil but listed as a sketch. It is unclear whether this refers to the painting offered here. The painting of Saint Sebastian was, until now, the only one of the six that had remained unknown to the compilers of the catalog raisonné. In his essay on Kutter in Munich, Edmond Thill does mention it, but without assigning a catalog number (see Koltz/Thill, p. 63). The depiction of a Christian martyr initially seems unusual in the context of Kutter’s overall oeuvre, particularly around 1919. At the center is the naked, seemingly shrouded body of the young Sebastian, whom, according to legend, Emperor Diocletian had tied to a tree and shot by Numidian archers. Believed to be dead, Sebastian was left at the site of his execution, even though he was still alive. Kutter places the pale body—pierced by four arrows—like a foreign object within an expressive forest landscape with a view of a lake and a mountain range in the background. With short, broad brushstrokes and a palette that shifts between earthy tones and vibrant primary colors, he heightens the tension between the figure and the landscape. The painting thus represents a remarkable addition to Kutter’s early Munich works and offers a rare insight into the development of his Expressionist visual language. Provenance: Private collection, Wiesbaden - Please request condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog.