ARNOLD BÖCKLIN (Basel 1827-1901 San Domenico near... Lot 3109

ARNOLD BÖCKLIN (Basel 1827-1901 San Domenico near Fiesole) Kneeling Mary Magdalene. 1895. Tempera on cardboard on hardboard. Monogrammed and dated upper left: A B 1895. 36.6 × 36.6 cm. Provenance: - Galerie Neupert, Zurich. - Swiss private property, acquired from the above gallery. - Inherited by the present owner, privately owned in Switzerland. Literature: - Henriette Mendelsohn: Böcklin (Geisteshelden. Führende Geister. Eine Sammlung von Biographien. 40.), Berlin 1901, p. 203. - Hugo von Tschudi: Royal Museums in Berlin. Arnold Böcklins Werke in der Nationalgalerie Berlin (1901), in: H. von Tschudi, Gesammelte Schriften zur neueren Kunst, ed. by E. Schwedeler-Meyer, Munich 1912, p. 141. - Arnold Frey: Arnold Böcklin in Zürich, in: Neujahrsblatt zur Kunstgesellschaft in Zürich für 1902, p. 13. - Heinrich Alfred Schmid: Verzeichnis der Werke Arnold Böcklins.... Vervollständigter und verbesserter Neudruck, der die Nachforschungen bis zum Herbst 1902 enthält, München 1902, Nr. 393 ("die büssende Magdalena"). - Albert Feilner: Mit Arnold Böcklin, Frauenfeld 1915, pp. 116, 184. - Wilhelm Barth: Zur Erinnerung an die Böcklin-Ausstellung 1927, in: Basler Kunstverein, Jahresbericht 1926, p. 9f, ill. between p. 12 and 13. - Exhibition cat. Basel 1927: Arnold Böcklin (1827-1927). Exhibition to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth, Kunsthalle Basel, 10.4.-6.6.1927, no. 139. - Exhibition cat. Berlin 1927: Paintings and drawings by Arnold Böcklin, exhibited to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth. National Gallery, Berlin, 16.10.1927-5.2.1928, no. 182 (Mary Magdalene). - Wilhelm Barth: Arnold Böcklin (Die Schweiz im deutschen Geistesleben. Bd. 11.), Frauenfeld 1928, p. 42f. - Rolf Andree: Arnold Böcklin. Die Gemälde, Basel 1998, p. 513, no. 448 (with illustration) (incorrectly described as "oil on paper on wood"). The son of a textile merchant, Arnold Böcklin was born in Basel in 1827. His unmistakable mystical aesthetic, which runs as a constant through his œuvre, distinguishes him as one of the greatest symbolists of the 19th century. Allegorical pictorial programmes assert themselves alongside atmospherically charged landscape depictions, and sacred pictorial themes are also an integral part of Böcklin's multi-layered exploration of the pictorial motif as a carrier of meaning. The work offered for auction here, depicting the "Penitent Magdalene", is exemplary for the group of works of a sacred pictorial programme that can be found in various versions in the artist's oeuvre. It shows the saint in the classical lateral portrait format, her lowered gaze directed out of the picture frame, two tears catching on her cheek. The thoughtful countenance is not a rarity in Böcklin's oeuvre as a whole. With similarly introspective expressions, various portraits suggest insight into the contemplative inner life of humanity. Böcklin's painterly talent was discovered and encouraged at an early age. At a young age he studied at the Düsseldorf Art Academy and at this time maintained a friendly relationship with his fellow Swiss student, Rudolf Koller (1828-1905). Study trips through Europe enabled him to encounter masterpieces of the Dutch Baroque and Italian Romanticism. Arnold Böcklin was particularly impressed by the colouring in the works of Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). The study of Barbizon painting, among others by Camille Corot (1796-1875), lead his interest increasingly to naturalistic landscape painting. The confrontation amidst the contrasting artistic influences lead Arnold Böcklin to find his own distinctive style, which is reflected in a pictorial diversity in his œuvre. Dr. Hans Holenweg, whom we thank for his information on this painting based on an illustration, describes this painting as a particularly fine example by Arnold Böcklin.