Castle Amid an Arid Landscape

Features

Signed, Framed

Size

Medium (up to 36in.)

Color

Multicolor

- Provenance: original artwork signed “Lucien Haffen” lower left. This piece was purchased in Europe in the 1960s, was framed at Michelson’s (709 G St. NW, Washington D.C.) and has since been part of the Winter family collection of Accokeek, Maryland. - Media: oil on canvas stretched over masonite panel - Artwork Dimensions: 25 3/8”h x 21 1/8"v - Frame Dimensions: 28 5/8"h x 24 3/8"v - Condition: excellent, like new Louis Antoine René Lucien Haffen (June 15, 1888– October 16, 1968) was a painter and engraver from, Alsace, known for his landscapes, especially those of his native region. His work is characterized by its vibrant color and light, capturing the essence of early to mid-20th-century life.  Haffen was born in Strasbourg's historic Petite France quarter into an upholsterer’s workshop, connecting him to a long line of Strasbourgeois craftsmen. He enrolled at the University of Strasbourg in 1908 and after studying law, medicine and literature he finally received a certificate in art history in 1918. All the while he had been embarking on his career as a painter, becoming a student of Lothar von Seebach from 1909 to 1913, in the famous workshop at the Porte de l'Hôpital in Strasbourg. He joined a circle of future Alsatian artists including Lucien Blumer (1(contact info removed)) and Hans Mathis (1(contact info removed)), but from whom he soon distinguished himself as "the one who today follows other paths, the very gifted Lucien Haffen". He was quickly noticed: "the canvases of the young Haffen are more disruptive than they should be… from the tumult of these years of apprenticeship emerged this dramatic power that we still feel in the smallest landscape of the painter, and the outrageous colorism of his beginnings is at the origin of the glittering richness of tones that enchants us today". He declared himself a professional artist in 1913, devoting his career mainly to figurative oil painting, black and white drawing, pastel and copper engraving. He married in 1925, and produced three daughters. Haffen traveled extensively, undertaking numerous visits to Paris, tours of Brittany, the Côte d'Azur, Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, and the Basque Country, which provided fresh inspiration for his art. Haffen was particularly fond of Alsace, and painted his hometown outdoors, landscapes of the four seasons, trees in bloom, harvests, grape harvests, snowy landscapes. and daily life. Examples include street scenes in Riquewihr and tranquil water mills in the Vosges mountains. He also painted scenes of celebrations, such as a village festival and a conscripts' celebration, capturing the community's spirit. He produced portraits of personalities, commissioned portraits, and family subjects (mother and children). He also painted events such as the entry of French troops on November 22, 1918; or the first parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe at the University Palace in Strasbourg (1949). He created two panels for the Alsace pavilion for the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1937. He painted the frescoes of the church of Sundhouse in 1938, the Gothic house on rue de l’Ail (before its destruction in 1930), the nautical jousts in Strasbourg, the Pentecost celebrations in Wissembourg, the hop festivals in Haguenau, the Corpus Christi processions in Geispolsheim, the conscript parades in Hochfelden, etc. Haffen also produced the series of lithographs: Twenty Messianic Scenes. A great music lover, he drew the orchestras, conductors and soloists during the concerts he attended. He thus drew Dr. Albert Schweitzer at the organ of the Saint-Thomas church in Strasbourg, as well as the conductor Charles Munch. Haffen was considered a "painter of the motif," known for painting directly from nature. He was captivated by light and color, which is reflected in his vibrant and lively paintings. An exhibition review described his work as "young, dapper, and prodigiously alive," praising its sophisticated technical execution. Haffen's artistic expression lies in the search for color, movement and event. An art historian states about him: "As for Lucien Haffen, he went much further in the audacious search for pure colors and a violent brushstroke, which rather akin him to the "fauves". Other critics use the expression "of a dazzling impressionism". "His technique and his personality arouse interest: "His subject is enriched, he goes to the figure in movement, he loves movement as much as color; he remains realistic, but works with a glittering palette, he gives himself entirely in a rather sketchy manner, all soaked in the full clarity of the sun (...) the ebb and flow of light are painted with a rare happiness" His temperament is described as fiery, with a technique made of indomitable colorism and audacious craftsmanship. Haffen exhibited his work at the prestigious Salon des Indépendants in Paris in 1921. He showed two panels at the Universal Exhibition in 1937. His work is held in the collections of several museums, in

Style

Impressionism

Medium

Oil