Harvest

This large-format early painting by Otakar Kubín presents a rare opportunity for admirers of this highly valued painter, who lived half his life in France. After studying at the Prague Academy, he undertook a study trip to France, which fundamentally influenced his work. One of the defining moments was the encounter with the works of Vincent van Gogh, who enchanted him with his way of expression based on the emotional power and value of pure colours. His second inspiration was the work of Paul Gauguin, who built the space with simple colour schemes. He used contrasts of rich colours with thick outlines in his synthetic landscapes. In the presented painting, Kubín used the newly acquired French knowledge and connected both inspirations. He emphasised the horizontal plans in the space of the garden without a distant horizon in the same way that Gauguin enclosed his Tahitian figures in paradise gardens filled with flowers and foliage. The static figures of people working in the fields, absorbed in themselves and focused on their task, distantly evoke Gauguin’s Brittany landscapes with working country women. The dynamic brush strokes and the method of painting by squeezing the paint directly from the tube also reflect the influence of Vincent van Gogh. The effect of the work is based on the contrast of the primary colours, ochre and blue, which blend into a secondary shade of teal. Large monochrome areas of foliage in the foreground frame the scene with simplified figures and geometrically formed shapes in the background. The presented canvas is the artist’s version of his work Harvest from 1906–1907. Variations of early works are usual for Kubín; e.g., Picking Potatoes from the same period. The painting was published in Volné směry XV, 1911, fig. p. 105 (Landscape). It comes from a family which purchased it from Kubín right after the end of the First World War. Paintings from the early period of the artist’s work are rare on the market. Assessed during consultations by prof. J. Zemina. The expertise of PhDr. R. Michalová, Ph.D., is attached.