Lot 155

František Kaván (1866 - 1941) BOHEMIAN-MORAVIAN HIGHLANDS NEAR VÍTANOV

A calm winter landscape with nearby birch draw is a harmonious work featuring the typical style of František Kaván, the author of numerous paintings showing the transforming Czech countryside during the changing seasons. The winter landscape is dated to quieter period in Kaván’s career, when he returned to Realism after 1900 and resided in Vítanov and Železnice. Kaván’s work was influenced by his studies in Julius Mařák’s landscape painting studio, where he started in 1889. He lived alone and led a humble life, and his realistic depictions of the landscape soon surpassed the work of his classmates. Influenced by the group around Moderní revue, he temporarily diverged from Realism in 1895 and switched to Symbolism and decadence.