Autumn on the Shore of the Lake by Leopold Francois Kowalsky

Leopold Francois Kowalsky
1856-1931 | French

Autumn on the Shore of the Lake

Signed "L. Kowalsky" (in lower right)
Oil on Canvas

This ethereal painting by French artist Leopold Kowalsky depicts a beautiful redhead deep in contemplation in the midst of a dreamy landscape. An expert draughtsman, Kowalsky's painting of an autumn afternoon is exquisitely rendered with vibrant complementary colors and precise detail. Primarily a painter of portraits and landscapes Kowalsky was a pupil of J. Pillard and Henri Lehmann at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He exhibited regularly in Paris from 1881 at the Salon des Artistes Francais and became a member of the Salon in 1883. Kowalsky's work was much admired by his peers for his attention to realism and he received a commendation in 1890 and a bronze medal in 1891.

In 1912 he moved to the Eure region of France and lived there until he died in the company of his wife and daughter, leaving some fine portraits of them behind. His landscapes of the Normandy and Brittany countryside often reveal a strong Post-Impressionist inspiration with their qualities of changing light and reflections and he was mainly known for extraordinary domestic scenes in gorgeous landscapes. The majority of his oeuvre focuses on Victorian nymphets dancing through fields of flowers, an incredibly popular theme in the late 19th century. His paintings reveal a bohemian sensibility that is equally charming today and his work is an important addition to any collection of 19th century painting.

Canvas: 25 1/2" high x 18 1/8" wide
Frame: 31 1/8" high x 26 7/8" wide

Literature:
Dictionary of Artists, 2006, E. Benezit