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Mixed media on cardboard. Signed lower right: “F. Gross 43”. Reverse: Exhibited at the Umělecká Beseda art exhibition at Aleš Gallery from 25 April to 16 May 1944; cat. no. 23. Industrial landscapes and outskirts of cities feature often in František Gross's art. This is also the case for the Social Civilist-style scene of Libeň, which is remarkable for its subtle color and sense of geometric arrangement. Painter and graphic artist František Gross was a leading exponent of Group 42 and Radar art groups. He studied at the Czech Technical University under Professor O. Blažíček and at the School of Applied Arts under Professor František Kysela. Here he met František Hudeček and the two forged a lifelong friendship. In 1933–34 he became acquainted with surrealism, which combined with his Cubist tendencies offered fertile ground for absurdism and humor. He held his first exhibition with Ladislav Zívr in his hometown of Nová Paka. In 1938 he left for Paris, where he saw an exhibition by Paul Klee. In 1946–47 his work was presented at a number of exhibitions outside of his home country: Paris, Brussels, Liège and Antwerp. The exhibition held for his 50th birthday was a watershed moment for him, as it led to the rediscovery of work that he actively took up again. In addition to allegories, he started to focus on painting industrial landscapes. He participated in numerous exhibitions in and outside Czechoslovakia, but in 1984 his physician ordered him to stop painting. His work is represented in major collections: National Gallery in Prague, Olomouc Museum of Fine Art and Regional Gallery of Fine Arts in Zlín.