Georg Baselitz

Galerie Michael Werner, Cologne
Private Collection, Germany
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the yellows tend more towards lime green and the background is lighter in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. The sheet is attached verso to the window mount along the edges. There is evidence of extremely light mount staining along the edges, mainly beneath the mount, and extremely light wear towards the edges. Very close inspection reveals a short and unobtrusive tear towards the lower right corner of the composition which has been repaired.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Untitled (Saxon Landscape) is a striking and rare work on paper from Baselitz’s fascinating early oeuvre. At the beginning of 1963, Baselitz’s paintings took on a different character that set them apart from the gestural complexity of the ‘Pandemonium’ period of 1961-2. Visionary and structured, this new body of work is characterised by organised compositions filled with motifs and symbols, expressively delineated in tight, outline-based surface articulations. In the present work, a bucolic landscape is filled with organic dream-like head structures, a sinuous vertical tree form extends up beyond the picture plane, and across the horizon line, a fence is formed of inky crosses. The use of such idiosyncratic symbols and signs implies a more concentrated presentation of meaning, although his work from this period continues to elude any specific interpretation. Andrea Franzke notes that ‘the representations are too personal, too emotional… Baselitz’s symbols - hearts and crosses – always serve both as vehicles of associative content and as formal elements connected with problems of pictorial organisation’ (Andreas Franzke, Georg Baselitz, Munich 1989, p. 52).