Lot 271 | Heinrich von Zügel | Man Driving Two Donkeys

ZÜGEL, HEINRICH VON
1850 Murrhardt - 1941 Munich

Title: Man Driving Two Donkeys.
Technique: Oil on canvas.
Measurement: 46,5 x 60cm.
Notation: Signed lower right: H. Zügel.
Frame: Framed.

Provenance:
Private ownership, Germany.

Good-naturedness and gentleness radiate from the two donkeys, whose peace-loving, tolerant nature has made them one of man's favourite farm animals for centuries. The painter is not intent on capturing their physique in detail; rather, he is interested in conveying the animal's stoic character. Through a virtuoso and dynamic brushstroke, he succeeds in merging the pair of donkeys with their surroundings into a natural unity. The person who domesticates them appears only on the periphery, but is captivating because of the strong colour accent that the artist sets with the bright crimson of his shirt. At the same time, he creates a strong complementary contrast to the chrome oxide green in the background. Particularly beautifully observed are the light reflections of the leather harnesses, which bear witness to the painter's work in the open air. Heinrich von Zügel was a founding member of the Munich Secession and is an important representative of German Impressionism. In his painterly oeuvre he focused entirely on the depiction of domesticated animals, thus making cows, sheep and donkeys worthy of painting as subjects in their own right. Hardly any other painter has set such a monument to the animal in art as he did.