Details

Putz 2402. Provenance: Private collection, Southern Germany.

Description

• Atmospheric Chiemgau autumn landscape
• Typical plein air work in Leo Putz’s loose style
• From the Kampenwand series of paintings, one of just a few purely landscape motifs devoid of figures

In 1909, Leo Putz was at the height of his artistic career. He acquired Bavarian citizenship, which was a prerequisite for the professorship he was awarded in the same year. The first Putz monograph was also published by his patron and art dealer Josef Brakl. In the same year, the artist bought the right to paint in the castle courtyard of Hartmannsberg in Chiemgau and to row on the castle lake and Langbürgner See. Putz spent his summers here until 1914, painting in the open air. During these extremely productive months, he created the numerous so-called barge paintings with women in rowing boats and nude paintings of girls bathing. Putz painted the imposing view of the Kampenwand several times. These works show the artist’s characteristic painting style from this so-called “Hartmannsberg period”, which made him so famous. However, the artist also painted purely landscape works without figures during this time. Putz painted the imposing view of the Kampenwand a total of seven times (Kampenwand I-VII), which seems to testify to his love of this landscape. The unusual virtuosity of the loose application of paint suggests that the works were created directly on location and show how the artist grappled with the challenges of depicting the colours of an autumn landscape. The combination of the unobstructed view over the flat lake to the towering mountain range of the Kampenwand lends this Chiemgau landscape its own unique character.