(Sankt Martin bei Lofer 1887–1930 Vienna)
“Pinzgauer Landschaft mit dem Steinernen Meer” (Landscape in the Pinzgau region with the Steinernes Meer), c. 1916, remains of signature A. F..., oil on canvas, 51 x 69 cm, framed, (K)

Provenance:
Private Collection, Carinthia

Certificate by Dr Nikolaus Schaffer, Salzburg, 2 August 2015 (photocopy):

The present painting, “Pinzgauer Landschaft mit dem Steinernen Meer”, (oil on canvas, 51 x 69 cm) is unequivocally an autograph work by Anton Faistauer. It belongs to the not very numerous series of landscape paintings from the artist’s native region. As the most well-known work of reference, the painting “Maishofen mit Schloss Saalhof” (catalogue raisonné Fuhrmann 126, Faistauer-Catalogue Salzburg 2005, p. 264) comes into consideration. For the topographical attribution and on stylistic grounds, the painting “Landschaft mit Steinernem Meer” (catalogue raisonné 22, Catalogue Salzburg p. 267) as well as the catalogue raisonné numbers 47, 75, 120, 121 and 135 lend themselves for comparison. The majority of these paintings were created in around 1916, when Faistauer, in his hometown Maishofen, reacted to his military conscription with trepidation. These works all show a similarly emphasised horizontal composition. Typical is the very perfunctory and indistinctly handled foreground (as in the “Schloss Saalhof”, here with the course of the river Urslau), the streaky transition into the picture plane, and the completion of the picture with the range of mountains, much moderated in its ruggedness by Faistauer. (The “dome-shaped bump” over the farmstead in the foreground is the “Hundstod”, which is always very visible from Maishofen). The midground is only very sparsely accentuated by two groups of houses. The application of paint here is particularly thin, giving precedence to the charcoal preliminary sketch, which benefits the effect of depth. The overwhelming impression is of emptiness, nevertheless an emptiness which is more than offset by a hazy, coloured atmosphere. The soft pastel tones applied here are of an extreme delicacy, exuding a mood which is as bright as it is misty, proceeding from the gentle use of the spatula typical for Faistauer. Very unusual, yet also very effective considering the bleakness of the motif mentioned above and the sparse employment of the medium, is the introduction of a number of branches with red blossoms at the top right. Unfortunately, the painting has certainly lost something of its painterly vividness due to an insensitive restoration treatment, since the application of colour and the painterly composition have been completely levelled out due to the relining... the lower bar of the stretcher features the following pencilled inscription: “Karl Arnoldi Wien III/Dapontegasse 12”, and to the right another address is listed (“Kärntnerstraße 47”?), which has been written over in blue pencil and is therefore difficult to decipher. The name Arnoldi shows a close relationship to Faistauer’s biography, as the wealthy couple Karl and Maria (de) Arnoldi belonged to the circle who purchased his works, their son Heinrich Arnoldi was a student of his, and had his portrait painted by Faistauer in 1929 as a young man in a straw hat. Faistauer painted a portrait of Maria Arnoldi already in 1916 – a date which is also consistent with our landscape painting. The inscription has all the characteristics of Faistauer’s personal handwriting (especially noteworthy is the fancifully curved A), and is therefore further evidence of his authorship. The picture is in an old ox-eye frame, which probably belongs to the “original configuration”, as Faistauer preferred precisely such frames as this for his paintings. The harmonious accord between picture and frame must, therefore, be especially emphasised.

Provenance:
Private Collection, Carinthia