(Wildensahl 1832–1908 Mechtshausen)
A rustic interior with blue and red jacket, oil sketch on thick paper/cardboard, 14.5 x 18.2 cm, framed, (W) 

A certificate by Ruth Brunngraber-Malottke M. A. of the Wilhelm-Busch-Gesellschaft E. V., from May 1997, is available. Excerpt from the certificate:
“Both the lively painterly style and the concise and typecast depictions confirm the painting ‘Rustic interior with blue and red jacket before a fireplace’ as a work by Wilhelm Busch, executed in about 1885/90.”
Wilhelm Busch (1832-1908) is primarily known for his picture stories, with his numerous oil paintings only receiving recognition after his death. Before opting to train as an artist, he studied mechanical engineering in Hanover for four years, at his parents’ request. In 1851, he transferred to Dusseldorf’s Academy, and moved to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp one year later. In Antwerp, the works of 17th-century Flemish and Dutch masters had a lasting impact on him and shaped his entire artistic output. He tried to establish himself as a painter in Munich in the 1870s, without success, with the result that he increasingly retreated into the private sphere and returned to his hometown. Back home, he created drawings and paintings of improving quality for his own pleasure, while the picture stories (with “Max and Moritz” being the most famous) offered a stable income. 

His characteristic style, influenced by Dutch painting, is particularly prominent in his rural genre scenes, as well as in his dynamic landscapes. His desire to work in small formats is one of his hallmarks, as can also be seen in the present work. The interior, in a landscape orientation, suggests a distinctively spontaneous style of painting. The typecast depictions of the figures give this oil sketch a vivacious overall effect.