7108 - Degner, Arthur

Degner, Arthur "Evening on the Lagoon" Oil on canvas. 81 x 100 cm. Titled in black felt-tip pen on the reverse of the stretcher, where it also bears the estate stamp. This scene illustrates the immense significance of the East Prussian landscape in Degner’s work: here, he draws upon his early studies of the Samland coast and the Curonian Spit. The motifs are as simple as can be—and thus precisely the most essential: a person, a tree, a house, a field, and the sky. The lagoon landscape, reduced to its most characteristic elements—a place of longing that was virtually unattainable for Degner at the time—virtually envelops the figure in the painting with its warmth. Using a broad brush and palette knife, the artist applies the luminous colors with vigor; the warm evening light causes the objects in the painting to cast long shadows across the flat landscape. Provenance: Artist’s estate Private collection, Berlin Bassenge, Berlin, Auction 99, June 2, 2012, Lot 8079 Private collection, Berlin - 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.