Stanisław Appenzeller (1901-1980) - Framed Oil Lover in the Woods

Description

This impressionistic landscape painting by Polish artist Stanisław Appenzeller (1901-1980) depicts the dappled light and lush greenery of a secluded woodland with a female figure reclined in blue to the lower right. The artist's bold brushstrokes and vibrant yellow and green palette create a sense of warmth and tranquility, inviting the viewer to explore the hidden depths of this woodland glade. Signed 'St. App.' to the lower left. The painting has been well presented in an ornate gilt-effect frame with floral and foliate ornamentation. Further inscriptions verso. On board.

Condition

Light dirtying to the surface of the oil. Stable cracking to the heavy gilt effect frame. Small moulding losses and chips to the outer framing edge. The overall condition of the artwork is very good.

Size

24 x 33cm (9.4" x 13.0")
Framed Size: 43 x 51cm (16.9" x 20.1")

Artist Biography

From an early age, Stanisław painted watercolour landscapes. At the age of 12, in accordance with family tradition, he left for Switzerland to study. In 1918 he began studying in Polish military schools, and then as a pilot he served in the Polish Army. Until 1921 he took part in the Polish-Bolshevik War; however, a serious accident interrupted his military career and became one of the reasons for taking up drawing studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. In 1936, Appenzeller organised an exhibition of works by members of the ZAP Block in the halls of Rapperswil Castle, initiating the activity of the Museum of Contemporary Poland there. In 1938, he was elected to the authorities of the Block, associating artistic groups that grew out of the Warsaw School of Fine Arts under the leadership of Tadeusz Pruszkowski. In the same year, he received a bronze medal for his painting Judas, a monumental religious composition, presented at the Salon of the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts. Apart from paintings with an extensive content, he also painted still lifes and landscapes. He returned to the French Riviera in 1939, settling with his wife Anna in his parents' home, Château Chambrun in Nice. During World War II, he was also stationed in Bern as a cultural attaché, and worked in military intelligence from Belgium to Italy, also collaborating with the French Resistance. From 1955 to 1980 he finally settled in the Provençal town of Seillans, where Max Ernst and his wife Dorothea Tanning also spent the last 12 years of their lives until Ernst's death in 1976. A collection of over 800 of Appenzeller's late works, mainly portraits and landscapes, is housed there, presented together with works by Ernst and Tanning at the Maison Waldberg.