ARTHUR ILLIES (1870-1952). Grazing mold.

Arthur Illies (1870-1952), grazing mold, oil on canvas, 1902/06, list of works by Kurt Illies No. 500, according to Helga Finger's index, the painting was painted over in 1906 and has since been listed as 'Grazing Horses, 'signed and dated in the lower left hand, signed, dated, subtitled and labelled poorly legibly 'Grasende Pferde 1906 Sylt' and 'Mellingstedt, Post Bergstedt (Holstein)”, approx. 87 x 137 cm, with frame ca. 104 x 154 cm.

PROVENANCE: Schleswig-Holstein private collection by inheritance, previously private collection in Hamburg probably as early as the 1960s. The painting hung for a long time in the rooms of a well-known Hamburg import and export company.

As co-founder of the Hamburg Artists' Club from 1897, Arthur Illies dedicated himself intensively to open-air painting. His focus was on depictions close to nature with atmospheric lighting effects. The depiction of the 'Grazing Horses, 'still shows significant influences of Art Nouveau and Symbolism, which are characteristic of the artist's early work. While he was still strongly rooted in impressionism in the early 1900s, towards the end of the decade — reinforced by his Sylt trips from 1908 — he opened up to more expressive forms and stronger colors.
Illies studied in Munich and Berlin before establishing himself in Hamburg. Works by Illies are in numerous public collections, including the Hamburger Kunsthalle, the Hamburger Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, the Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte and the Altona Museum.