Bidspirit auction | Otakar Kubín (1883-1969)

Otakar Kubín (1883-1969) - Otakar Kubín (1883-1969). LAKE SIGURET (LAC DE SIGURET) ca 1957 Oil on canvas, 50×61 cm (63×74 cm), undated, c. 1957, signed lower right ”Coubine”. Framed. Verso on the frame marked with an author`s label. The presented canvas is a brilliant example of Kubín`s post-war creative period, in which the artist draws on memories and returns to his distinctive pantheistic Neoclassicism from the French period. The subject of Lake Siguret, situated high in the foothills of the French Alps, is not a mere topographical record here but becomes a carrier of metaphysical calm and harmony, which he transports into the complex realities of 1950s Czechoslovakia. In this composition Kubín applies his characteristic geometricising order, which he renders, however, with extraordinary lyricism. The space is constructed in several planes that gradually open from the grassy foreground through the blue expanse of the lake to the majestic, light-modelled mountain masses on the horizon. The artist works here with the chalky colourism typical of him – muted tones of ochres, silvery greens and deep blue, which evoke in the viewer a sensation of suspended time and Arcadian serenity. The manner in which Kubín interprets light is no longer an Impressionist flicker but becomes a fixed component of volumes. Every element of the landscape has its weight and a firm place within the whole, referencing the tradition of the great French classicists, above all Nicolas Poussin. It is precisely in these intimate formats, such as this one, that Kubín`s ability to condense a monumental impression of nature into an intimate painterly statement is most evident. The existence of an expert report by PhDr. Rea Michalová underscores not only the authenticity but also the high collector`s validity of the work in the context of Czech Modernism. Collector`s significance: Otakar Kubín belongs to the very top echelon of Czech modern art with a firm international footing. This work from the lake cycle is a representative document of his unique position on the Parisian as well as the Prague scene of both the interwar and post-war periods. Accompanied by an expert report by PhDr. Rea Michalová, Ph.D.