This watercolour has the elegance and serenity of a Japanse Sumi-e painting. It captures the essence of the subject with simple, spontaneous strokes, conveying the vitality and equilibrium of the landscape depicted. And yet, this work of art is decidedly occidental, utilising the wet-on-wet technique characteristic of European watercolourists to achieve its fluid, ephemeral quality.
Titled ''Winter in France'' it was painted by an American woman artist, Louisa Baun, in the early 1950s.
Even more extraordinarily, Brown had a military connection. According to an exhibition label to the verso of the original frame, she was based with the US Air Force St Mihiel, an aircraft munitions sub-depot in the Meuse Department which supported fighter air bases in northeastern France in the post war period.
This unusual biographical detail suggests the painting was inspired by the austere French landscape surrounding the military base, offering a rare glimpse of postwar Europe through the
... eyes of an American servicewoman who saw its poetry.
Measuring 36 x 43 cm and signed at the lower right. The overall size of the watercolour in a striking and elegant frame is 53 x 61 cm.
Nous parlons franēais, und wir sprechen auch Deutsch! Paintings may be viewed in Norwich and in Paris, as well as in London and Cambridge by appointment. Please contact us if you would like further details and images of an artwork.
Antique ID Number (AIDN): SA1181842
Dateline of this antique is 1950
Height is 36cm (14.2inches)Width is 43cm (16.9inches)Depth is 1cm (0.4inches)
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