417 - Ferdinand Schirren

Ferdinand Schirren 1872 Antwerp – 1944 Molenbeek-Saint-Jean/Sint-Jans-Molenbeek – Park Landscape – Watercolor on paper. 60 x 48.5 cm. 63.5 x 52 cm (dimensions including frame). Signed lower right: F. Schirren. Framed under glass. Edges slightly browned. - Provenance: Erna Schultze Cohnitz (1884–1971) / Ernst Cohnitz, Berlin, until 1971 / Margit Fischer-Cohnitz, Berlin / Heirs of Margit Fischer-Cohnitz, Berlin (Ernst Ludwig Fischer and his wife Gesine Fischer) / Heir Philipp Fischer—A certificate from the Art Loss Register (ALR Ref: S00277167), London, October 19, 2026, is included. Ferdinand Schirren is considered one of the pioneers of Belgian Modernism: He was one of the first to break away from Impressionism and, with pure, luminous color, paved the way for Brabant Fauvism. Especially in watercolor, a medium he mastered, he used the white of the paper as light. This park landscape exemplifies this approach: in broad, transparent strokes, tree crowns and meadows dissolve into shades of green, blue, and violet, while the bold trunks provide stability to the composition. Schirren’s background as a sculptor is also evident here.