503 - Edward Cucuel (1875 San Francisco – Pasadena 1954)

Edward Cucuel (1875 San Francisco – Pasadena 1954) “Noon” Oil on canvas. (ca. 1924). Approx. 80 x 80 cm. Signed lower right. Signed and titled again on the reverse of the stretcher. • Cucuel’s works are characterized by a luminous, vibrant late Impressionist style • Outdoor and social scenes are Cucuel’s favorite motifs • The free, fluid brushwork creates a sense of dynamic movement and spontaneity The American painter Edward Cucuel first attended the art academy in his hometown of San Francisco before continuing his education in Paris at the Académie Julian and the Académie Colarossi, as well as at the Académie des Beaux-Arts. After a brief stint as a newspaper illustrator in New York, he traveled back to France and Italy to devote himself to his further training. Additional study trips followed before he moved to Munich via Berlin in 1907 to join the group “Die Scholle.” Leo Putz was his great role model here, and his interactions with Putz and his plein air painting led to similar motifs in his body of work. Women, in particular, were one of the most important subjects of his art. This resulted in numerous paintings depicting women bathing, relaxing, boating, or even drinking coffee, mostly at popular destinations such as Lake Starnberg, Lake Chiemsee, or Lake Ammersee. Cucuel, who lived mostly in Holzhausen on Lake Ammersee during World War I, purchased a villa on Lake Starnberg in 1918. During this time, he commuted between his studio there and Munich. This work likely captures a private moment of leisure at noon in the arbor directly by the lake in the artist’s garden. Bibliography: Von Ostini, Fritz, *Der Maler Edward Cucuel*, Zurich/Vienna/Leipzig 1924, b/w ill. p. 62. Provenance: Private collection, Baden-Württemberg; Grisebach, Berlin, Nov. 30, 2012, Lot 400; Private collection, Southern Germany. Taxation: subject to margin scheme (VAT: Margin Scheme).