Motif from Normandy, 1895

This painting by Eugen Jettel (1845–1901) in a horizontal format shows a summery landscape impression from Normandy, conveying a gentle atmosphere and idyllic scenery. The painting, shaped by bright as well as trenchant colors, which shows a field in the foreground which is already mostly bare save for a few pumpkins and cabbages, emanates a sense of tranquility and serenity. The village and church of Auvers-sur-Oise in the background are cloaked in a fine mist. The composition is dominated by horizontal lines, while the separation of the field and village is emphasized by a glowing green color. The planar composition and decorative arrangement of the pictorial elements reveal the onset of the influence of Secessionism. Jettel, who had turned towards atmospheric plein-air painting early on, is considered one of the first representatives of the paysage intime in Austria. He spent more than two decades of his life in France. He signed this late work, which he created two years prior to his return to Vienna, with his French signature Eugène Jettel.

AGW, 2023