Small Landscape with Seaweed Fishermen, ca. 1889

Dimensions: 21.9 x 33.2 cm

Physical Description: Oil on cardboard

Inventory Number: SG 399

Acquisition: Acquired in 1926

Status: Not on display

Texts

About the Work

The fishermen collecting seaweed look like dancers in a choreographed routine as they use large rakes to pile up the heaps of pink seaweed on the beach. The stylised figures and formal elements, clearly delineated with dark lines, consist of pure areas of colour without any form of modelling. This painterly method, following the style of Paul Gauguin among others, is characteristic of many of the works by the Nabis, the artists' group of which Sérusier was a co-founder. The central perspective, too, is sacrificed to a decorative overall impression: this small-format picture, painted in Brittany, has no horizon, but the sea and beach are shown as vertical surfaces.

About the Acquisition

Pauline Kowarzik (née Fellner; 1852–1930) grew up in Frankfurt and received private painting and drawing lessons at a young age. In 1896, she married the Viennese sculptor and medallist Josef Kowarzik (1860–1911), who taught sculpture at the Städelschule. Together, they were very active participants of Frankfurt’s art life and closely associated with the Städel Art Institute. Due to her notable knowledge of modern art, Pauline Kowarzik was the first woman to be appointed as a member with advisory capacity in the acquisition committee of the Städtische Galerie in 1916. Kowarzik herself owned a significant collection with modern art works. When the inflation in 1926 got her into financial trouble, Pauline Kowarzik sold her private collection to the Städel for a monthly life annuity. In 1937, 18 of the 34 works were removed from the museum as part of the “Degenerate Art” confiscation operation. Nowadays, they are either lost or in other museums all over Europe. Heckel’s "Landscape in Holstein" was the only one of these works that the Städel was able to buy back.

Work Data

Basic Information

Title: Small Landscape with Seaweed Fishermen

Painter

Paul Sérusier

Period Produced

19th century

Object Type

painting (artwork)

Physical Description: Oil on cardboard

Material

card

Technique

Property and Acquisition

Institution

Städel Museum

Departement

Modern Art 1800–1945

Collection

Städtische Galerie

Creditline: Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main

Picture Copyright: Public Domain

Acquisition: Acquired in 1926

Work Content

Motifs and References

Genre

genre

Main Motif

Associated Persons and Institutions

Iconclass

Primary

43C128 fisherman
25G53 algae, seaweed
31D14 adult man
31D15 adult woman
47I141 reaping, picking, mowing ~ harvest

Secondary

61D(BRETAGNE) geographical names of countries, regions, mountains, rivers, etc. (BRETAGNE) (BRETAGNE)

Research and Discussion

Provenance

Object History: ... Pauline Kowarzik (1852-1929), Frankfurt am Main

Verkauf an die Städtische Galerie, Frankfurt am Main, 1926.

Information

Since 2001, the Städel Museum has systematically been researching the provenance of all objects that were acquired during the National Socialist period, or that changed owners or could have changed owners during those years. The basis for this research is the “Washington Declaration”, also known as the “Washington Conference Principles”, formulated at the 1998 “Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets” and the subsequent “Joint Declaration”.

The provenance information is based on the sources researched at the time they were published digitally. However, this information can change at any time when new sources are discovered. Provenance research is therefore a continuous process and one that is updated at regular intervals.

Ideally, the provenance information documents an object’s origins from the time it was created until the date when it found its way into the collection. It contains the following details, provided they are known: