80. Sleigh ride [1896]

Before his departure for Bulgaria in 1897, the Czech artist Jaroslav Vešin explored in depth the theme of domestic and provincial life in his work, especially in the last years when he lived in Munich. It was during this period that Veshin focused on compositions with sleighs and wagons, such as the Winter Race of 1896. It features the characteristic horses being harnessed by farmers in a wintry, rural setting. In this scene, the Czech artist skillfully captures a moment of a dynamic scene: the steam rising from the mouths of the harnessed stallions, the pleasure written on the faces of the villagers, the dog on the left trying to catch up with the sled in front and the farmer in reverse swinging with the whip, still show the dynamism and transitory nature of recreational contests like this. Yaroslav Veshin showed interest in this type of energetic equestrian scenes, from an early age. Two watercolor sketches named "Troika", mentioned in the monography on the artist with author Mara Tsoncheva, are a good example of Veshin's commitment to this theme since his student years. In the same monography we also find an almost identical composition to "Winter Race", named "Race" from 1897. Rushing horses are depicted with less detail for their heads and in a looser style. The same attention is lacking to the faces of the passengers in the wagons, as well as the dog on the left side of the picture. A much smaller oil on board sketch exists for this work from 1987. Despite the small format, the sketch is extremely detailed and with a clear concept for the finished large format canvas. Two other similar artworks from this period with similar compositions are "Sleigh Ride" from 1896 and "Wagon Race" from 1897. In the first example, the signature dog depicted on the left half of the current lot is found, as well as the almost identical image of the horse on the left side of the sled. The second example from 1897 reveals an almost identical landscape in the background, but this time presented in summer time. This suggests that the place represented on the canvas is based on a real location, which Vešin most likely saw during his travels between 1895-1897. It is precisely this attitude to the realistic grasp and capturing momentary scenes of everyday life in the countryside that determine the Czech an artist as one of the most established painters of domestic landscape from the end of the 19th century. (M.Z.)

References

Цончева, Мара (1955). Ярослав Вешин, живот и творчество. София: изд. Български художник

Dimensions

width 89.5 cm, height 59 cm, custom 59 × 89,5 cm

Description

oil on canvas, signed, dated and located bottom right, in black, "Jaroslav-Věšín, Mnchn, 1896"

Research information

The artwork corresponds to the requirements for cultural value, according to an expert identification certificate.

Dating

1896

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