Eugen von Blaas

Dr. Leopold A. St. John, Tequesta, Florida (before 1979)
Private Collector, Florida (by descent from the above, her step-father)
Thence by descent (daughter of the above)

 

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This work on panel is in lovely condition. It has recently been cleaned. There are no damages or paint losses to the work and the panel is not only flat, but un-cracked as well. The paint layer is stable. The reverse of the panel is reinforced with original battens on the top and bottom. It is unlikely that there are any retouches at all except for possibly a few spots in the blouse of the figure on the left. The condition is very good.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Growing up in a family of painters, von Blaas followed a course of study that was intended to encourage his talent.  Trained at the Academy of Venice, where his father was an instructor, von Blaas showed a ready aptitude for genre painting in his early works, and the magical city would continue to inspire him throughout his internationally celebrated career.  Unlike many of his fellow Venetian artists, who painted the famous architectural landmarks or sweeping views of the great lagoons, von Blaas focused on humble people at work. In many of his most successful compositions, like Sharing the News, von Blaas created tightly arranged compositions in which well-placed, richly described details hint at a larger narrative. In the present work, the wet stones and pile of coiled clothing on the ground suggest the laundress has been long at work. She is momentarily entertained by her red-haired, smiling companion sharing her correspondence — the page turned downward, the neatly painted text nearly, teasingly, legible for the viewer.

The act of reading a letter had long been a favorite subject of genre artists, as it allowed an ideal pretext to observe the sitter lost in thought.  These compositions invite the viewer to guess the meaning of the missive by decoding clues in the posture or facial features of the reader.  Such an ability to convey meaning through his lovely models reveals von Blaas to be a skilled portrait painter; interestingly, his depictions of Venetian models are often considered genre subjects themselves.  The artist places his figures close to the picture surface, framed by a masonry wall with a small window providing an element of depth perspective.  Posing motionlessly while the letter is shared, the two women are easily observed by the viewer — objects of beauty with a shared story or two between them.