Eduard Emil August Leonhardi Lot n° 19

Eduard Emil August Leonhardi "Rising Thunderstorm in Swampy Plain". 1894. Eduard Emil August Leonhardi1828 Freiberg - 1905 Loschwitz Oil on wood, picture carrier made of two wooden plates joined by a horizontal spring connection and parquet on the back side. Ligatured monogrammed "EL." and dated u.li. Verso signed, inscribed "Loschwitz" and dated again in white on the image carrier l.m.. In a magnificent, gold-coloured and richly decorated stucco frame. Numbered "No 3" on the verso and provided with the exhibition label of the "Grossen Kunst-Ausstellung des Hamburger Kunstvereins 1895". On this label artist's name, place name "Loschwitz. Villa Leonhardi" and titled. With another adhesive label, numbered "708" on it. WVZ Weißbach XVI (appendix). In his landscape paintings Eduard Leonhardi combines the realistic reproduction of nature with the simultaneously conscious composition from previous studies, resulting in an idealization of the landscapes. This late Romantic conception results in a timeless, poetic space, in which the phenomena of nature can be interpreted as a parable for the constant becoming and passing away. The mood of the picture is largely defined by the lighting. Leonhardi depicts a cloud-covered sky, rich in colour and form, against the light. Starting from this cloudy sky, a subdued light lies on the calm-looking landscape, which forms a contrast to the towering, moving clouds. The artist reproduces the vegetation with great care and attention to detail. This is based on a very conscious, precise observation, drawing from nature, as taught by his teacher Ludwig Richter. Leonhardi also shared Richter's enthusiasm for the Bohemian and Saxon landscape, which would remain Leonhardi's preferred subject. From the 1870s onwards, he even dispensed almost entirely with figural staffage in favour of a pure concentration on the elements of nature depicted. Industrialization, which already left its mark on the landscape at the time of the artist, is completely omitted from Leonhardi's oeuvre, and thus his untouched depictions of nature remain places of longing and retreat, far removed from worldly events. (Cf. Angelika Weißbach, catalogue raisonné Eduard Leonhardi, Dresden 1998.). Isolated, expert retouching, especially on the lower left. Area of old retouching in the clouds, upper left. Partially small loosenings of the painting layer (without loss of colour) as well as slightly blistered in the left half of the picture Mi. The horizontal joint can be read in the painting layer due to ageing. Tiny chipping on the same side mi. Painting layer partially rubbed in the fold area. Isolated brownish spots on the surface and yellowed varnish. Frame with loosenings and small missing parts in the stucco applications. Dimensions: 102,5 x 143 cm, cm 147 x 187. Eduard Emil August Leonhardi 1828 Freiberg - 1905 Loschwitz Leonhardi studied at the Dresden Art Academy from 1842-45 and was then a studio pupil of Ludwig Richter.Later he worked for some time in Düsseldorf, but then he returned to Dresden, where he settled in the district of Loschwitz in 1859. In 1864 he was appointed honorary member of the Dresden academy of arts. Leonhardi became famous for his romantic landscape paintings. In 1878 he bought an old mill and had it converted into today's Leonhardi Museum.