Häcker Johannes, Hollyhocks Church Summer, 1922, Gouache and Watercolor

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1922 Flowers in front of a church Watercolor 61.5 x 48 cm The present work is a large-format, high-quality watercolor … Read more 1922 Flowers in front of a church Watercolor 61.5 x 48 cm The present work is a large-format, high-quality watercolor with gouache on paper, 61.5 × 48 cm, signed "Johannes Häcker," dated 1922, and bearing another, barely legible title or location inscription. The work belongs to a group of works that exemplify the transition from German Art Nouveau to the early expressive nature painting of the Weimar Republic. The subject matter depicts a magnificent, almost lush summer garden panorama with an elaborate display of hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) and poppies in rich pink, red, violet, and white: The tall stems of the hollyhocks reach almost to the edge of the picture, forming an organic, decorative composition reminiscent of the ornamental conception of nature in Art Nouveau. Behind the dense sea of ​​blossoms, a characteristic church building with a lantern tower of light-colored plastered brickwork is visible—a type of building common in southern Germany, Switzerland, and Austria during the Baroque and Biedermeier periods. It is flanked by another gable and scattered, light-colored trees. The sky is a delicate blue-gray, while the background is rendered with impressionistic freshness. The technique combines transparent watercolor layers in the background with opaque gouache accents in the blossoms, giving the work an exceptional luminosity. The large format, the high quality of execution, the masterful composition, and the expressive use of color all point to a skilled, trained artist. For collectors of German garden painting, watercolors from the 1920s, and floral portraits in the tradition of late German Art Nouveau, this large-format work is a particularly attractive and rare offering. This piece is designed in the style of the selected designer and/or manufacturer See less