Ludwig Blum Lot n° 12

is renowned for his landscapes of Jerusalem depicting the Old City's gateways and alleys and the life of its diverse population. The painting on sale dates from the artist's earlier period (1920s) shortly after his arrival in Jerusalem when he was still dazzled by the powerful local light. The bright palette is typical of these early years when the artist explored subtle changes in color on the walls of houses and streets while his interest in the portrayal of people was still relatively limited. The tradition of urban genre scenes of the city of Jerusalem dates back to the mid-nineteenth century to artists such as Carl Friedrich Werner and Gustav Bauernfeind. It was later taken up by painters ofarious schools including Stanley Inchbold and his contemporary David Blomberg. Like Werner before him and unlike lesser known artists such as Inchbold Blum exhibits a thorough understanding of architecture. This can be seen in the detailed rendering of larger elements (the arches and terraces) as well as smaller details (doors windows). In Blum's painting architecture does not impose itself upon theiewer but is merely a framework within which he builds his composition. The solidly built doors and terraces are placed along the street to construct a well thought out rhythm broken only by the arches whose shadows break up the strong perspective of the street. Unlike his later works of Old City alleyways such as ?Via Dolorosa' 1945 (Sotheby's May 2000) Blum is not concerned in this painting with creating an Oriental genre shuk scene where people are represented within the limited space of a few shops or a side street arguing or resting while drinking tea. He is interested in conveying the atmosphere of a hot summer afternoon inside the walled city where the footsteps of a person pacing towards us would echo from the surrounding walls. This impression is generated in an appropriate manner not through a contrasting color palette but rather through a limited color gradation which c