(San Francisco 1875–1951 Pasadena)
Waldlichtung (forest glade), signed Cucuel, titled and signed Cucuel on the stretcher, oil on canvas, 123 x 95 cm, framed

Provenance:
Galerie Salis & Vertes, Salzburg
acquired from the above by the present owner in c.1994 –
Private Collection, Switzerland

After travelling widely across Europe, Cucuel lived and worked in and around Munich from 1907 onwards. It was here where he painted the present work.
Influenced by French Impressionism, Cucuel conveys not only a sense of liberation in style, but a true enjoyment of life, his favourite subjects being picnics, promenades and boating trips, and scenes of nature featuring young women.
Forest Glade is a feast of dappled sunlight and luscious foliage. Cucuel succeeds by his use of light and colour in capturing on canvas fleeting atmosphere effects, the warm light and dazzling colours as well as the depth of the forest he found there. In the foreground, a young woman with white dress and umbrella strolls gracefully in a glade, gazing directly at the viewer. As a result, the nature surrounding her is no longer merely a background, but creates the illusion for the viewer of being in the painting.