Agitated Sky, c. 1885

In his work Agitated Sky, Eugen Jettel (1845–1901) concentrated on rendering atmospheric peculiarities. He sketched the water and shoreline with loose, broad brushstrokes, rendering the outlines of boats, trees and farmsteads. The almost expressive-looking cloud formations, full of contrasts, in front of a deep blue sky are remarkable within the oeuvre of this artist who usually rendered calm, cloudy skies. In this work, created around 1885, Jettel applied the paint dry, often leaving the structure of the canvas visible. Along with the open style of painting, this invests the rendering with a sketch-like appearance. Jettel, who lived for a long time in Paris, is an exponent of Austrian Atmospheric Impressionism. He embarked on numerous study trips to Hungary, Italy, Holland and Normandy, and together with Rudolf Ribarz (1848–1904), one of his fellow students at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, to Picardy.

AGW, 2021