Obraz Wierusza z mocną ekspertyzą p. dr. Elizy Ptaszyńskiej. W opisie katalogowym mamy podane, że praca pochodzi ze szczytowego okresu artysty. Czy należy to rozumieć, że to był najlepszy był okres artysty czy też najbardziej płodny okres artysty? Myślę, że ten drugi, bo artysta miał liczną rodzinę, panny musiały być wysyłane na wakacje ‘do wód’ a to kosztowało. Kosztowało pieniądze i trzeba było malować i malować. Stąd, moim zdaniem, ta praca Wierusza niewiele różni się od innych jego ‘wesołych jazd’. Bardzo dobra technika malarstka ale ta sama co poprzednio treść. Nic dziwnego, że Wojciech a zwłaszcza później Jerzy Kossak podobne scenki wiejskich wesel malowali bo się one sprzedawały dobrze. Dwadzieścia lat temu taka pracę Wierusza można było kupić za 15,000 euro. Teraz bogatych ludzi przybyło i dlatego ceny są windowane. Jednak, 48,000 euro jak na Niemcy to sporo lecz w Polsce będzie jeszcze drożej. Wydaje mi się, że obrazu nie kupi osoba fizyczna lecz jeden z polskich domów aukcyjnych na handel. Pożyjemy, zobaczymy.

Lot 1274. Alfred von Wierusz-Kowalski (1849 Suwalki – 1915 Munich). Fröhliche Schlittenfahrt durch ein Dorf. The painter’s work, created around 1885-1895 at the height of his artistic career, shows as its central motif a simple low horse-drawn sleigh with two Polish peasant girls setting off on a winter excursion in the warm, golden light of the evening sun. During the ride, one of the girls turns, full of suspense, to another, still standing horse-drawn sleigh in the middle ground with a happy couple as passengers. Next to them, three people watch them from the front door. At the far end on the left are other sleighs with a colourfully depicted group of country people in front of a large, low farmstead, which spatially completes the composition. On the right-hand side of the picture, the scene is flanked by two farmhouses standing close together, from which fire smoke drifts down. In motif and style, this painting combines all the characteristics of Alfred von Wierusz-Kowalski’s mature style with all its artistically outstanding finesse in a confident, nuanced ductus and colouring. Through the composition with diagonals running in different directions, Wierusz-Kowalski skilfully creates depth, dynamics and movement, which is balanced by the static group in the background. A decisive element of this painting is its virtuoso narrative character, in which the individual episodes and scenes are simultaneously structured and interwoven, rhythmized by zones of sun and shadow as well as strong red color accents. In this painting, Alfred von Wierusz-Kowalski also shows himself to be a master of snow painting, in which he reproduces the manifold textures and colours. For this he uses the play of light by placing the sun’s reflections on the clear white or lining it with grey or purple in the shaded areas. From 1873 Wierusz-Kowalski studied with Alexander v. Wagner at the Academy in Munich, where he settled and joined the circle of Polish painters around Józef Brandt. From 1875 onwards he successfully sent his briskly painted, captivating depictions of Polish folk life to the major exhibitions. His preferred subject matter was riders, horses, carriages and sleighs chased by wolves; as in this large-format painting, he was very fond of depicting varied, cheerful carriage and sleigh rides in summer and winter snowy scenery, including a series of works with related motifs from peasant weddings. Oil/floodwood; l. and signed; 74 cm x 107 cm. Frame. /V/attached: Expertise by Dr. Eliza Ptaszynka, Suwalki, 24.07.2020. General literature: Boetticher, vol. I/2, p. 784 f.; Thieme-Becker, vol. XXI, p. 364.// /V/Oil on canvas. Signed. Accompanied by an expertise by Dr. Eliza Ptaszynka, Suwalki, 24th of July 2020. Estimate 48,000 euro. Schloss Ahlden. 09/06/20