catalog text
ALFRED FONTVILLE DE BREANSKI (BRITISH, 1877-1957)
"In the West Highlands, near Balluchulich", signed lower left "AF de Breanski"; titled, signed and notated en verso in charcoal
Item # 1401MBP24PS
Light and texture define this work by Alfred Fontville de Breanski, successfully introducing in this Realism landscape scene distinct elements of the Tonal School. Using soft-edged broadly painted tonalities, de Breanski does not just capture the landscape with stark realism, but seeks to capture the emotion and spirit of the scene. The result is sleepy and nostalgic, capturing and making timeless a moment in this picturesque valley with clouds descending from the mountains to hang above the trickling waters, dark shadows cast against the left-most mountain as the sun is blocked by clouds high above. Perspective is achieved in perfect realism without any independent meter of proportions - distance between mountains is not defined by size or scale but rather by opacity and shifting tones, how the eye captures far points on the horizon differently than the foreground, de Breanski seeks to lend detail in graduation with distance. It is precise and exacting while restraining enough of the sharp detail to leave the work suspended in an almost dreamy state, refraining from a photographic approach to a complex and intense landscape.
Like many of his mountainous works, de Breanski inscribed the back with the location of the scene - the back reads "In the West Highlands, near Ballachulich / Copyright Reserved AdB". A near companion work was offered at Christies [lot 254, sale 5125] noted on the back "In the West Highlands/A. F. de. Breanski / Copyright reserved / ADeB", with a vast majority of his other mountain-scapes likewise noting the location and his reserved rights to the work - the majority of his work of this type of scene is executed on a 20" x 30" canvas.
This is an exceptional find with minimal conservation and in excellent condition.
Biographical notes on Alfred Fontville de Breanski
Alfred Fontville De Breanski (British, 1877-1957) was a successful landscape painter. Born into a family of painters, Alfred's father was the highly accomplished British landscape painter, Alfred De Breanski Senior (1852-1928); his uncle, Gustave de Breanski, was a successful coastal and seascape painter. Alfred Jr. painted intricate landscape compositions not dissimilar from his father's own style, but his brush strokes and overall handling is distinctly different than his father's. Having trained in Paris, where Alfred Fontville de Breanski Jr. was exposed to the work of the Impressionists, he painted in a more coarse form than his father, handling the surface more loosely with broader strokes to capture the essence versus the stark details of a scene more fully. His works have a distinct tonalism that is highly magnetic, giving his works a depth of perspective enhanced by his technical rendering of soft light through various elements. His most recognizable paintings focus on the landscapes of the Highlands of Scotland and the Mountains of Wales, these works capturing how light at various times of the day diffuses through clouds and reflected in the foliage and waters in a brilliant and magnetic way. During the years of 1905 through 1920, Alfred Fonteville De Breanski executed works in a distinctly impressionistic style, painting a series of English Garden scenes which he exhibited at the Royal Academy and the Royal Society of British Artists.
Measurements: [framed] 37 7/8" wide x 28 1/4" high; [canvas] 29 1/2" wide x 19 7/8" high
Condition Report:
Original lining and stretchers, frame contemporary. Light craquelure dancing across surface, rather attractively. Faint stretcher marks visible, more notable on the right side. Tiny spot of loss in top left corner where frame meets canvas, two small scratches/losses in bottom most right corner, tiny speck of loss in bottom-most left corner. [UNDER UV] Milky-greenish-purplish cast in the mountains somewhat obscures examination; we believe this is the pigment of the cloud settling on the mountain fluorescingsomewhat differently than the surroundings as brush strokes seem consistent on close up examination. A few scattered specks of touch up here and there throughout, none noteworthy. Overall excellent condition. Please review all images in the slideshow for a full overview of condition.