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Premium Thierry de Maigret
172
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Maria Melania KLINGSLAND, known as Mela MUTER (1876–1967)
St…
See original version (French)
172
-
Maria Melania KLINGSLAND, known as Mela MUTER (1876–1967)
St…
See original version (French)
Estimate €40,000 - €60,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Maria Melania KLINGSLAND, known as Mela MUTER (1876–1967)
Still Life
Oil on canvas, signed top right.
73 x 60 cm
Provenance:
Former collection of Mrs Henry Lapauze*
Private collection * This is almost certainly the third wife of Henry Lapauze (1867–1925), Marie Paule
Fontenelle (1889–1975)
From the early decades of the 20th century, Mela Muter established herself as one of the leading figures of the School of
Paris. Having arrived in Paris in 1901, following her initial training in Warsaw, she attended the free art schools and
in the major Parisian salons. Her work, which encompasses portraiture, landscape and still life
alike, is distinguished by a dense, energetic texture and a composition in which the subject always remains central.
In this composition, Muter does not treat the subject merely as a still-life exercise. The fish,
no doubt the catch of the day, are laid out on a newspaper whose title [La] Dépêche is clearly visible. This detail, straddling fishing and
Dépêche and fresh produce and fresh news, introduces a touch of humour without diverting the eye from the painting
itself.
The composition of the painting rests on a highly controlled balance; the motif initially appears disordered, almost improvised, yet Muter has perfect mastery over its organisation; she employs a thick, almost jagged brushstroke, composed of impasto, overpainting and streaks of colour. The back of the chair, placed in the background, gives the scene a domestic and familiar anchor, whilst the green bottle, standing upright on the left, stabilises the composition. Its deep green acts as a counterpoint to the pink, red and orange tones of the fish, whose intensity it reinforces. Muter thus contrasts the cool green of the bottle with the pinks, reds and oranges of the fish. The chair, the newspaper and the bottle set the scene in a simple, everyday setting, whilst the thick, energetic brushwork gives the subject an immediate, lifelike presence.
On the reverse, an old handwritten label bears the inscription ‘Exhibition by Madam / Still Life / Belongs to Mrs Henry Lapauze / 10 Rue Royale’. This indication leads us to suppose that Mme Henry Lapauze is very likely Marie-Paule Fontenelle, the third and final wife of Henry Lapauze, art critic, curator of the Petit Palais and founder of *La Renaissance de l’art français et des industries du luxe*. Following her husband’s death in 1925, Marie-Paule Lapauze continued her work within the Parisian art world: she took over the editorship of the journal and, in 1926, opened the Galerie de la Renaissance.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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