Western Art, including Contemporary Native American

Provenance:

Gift of the George Montgomery Trust to Palm Springs Art Museum

Lot Note:

This painting is inscribed on the verso, From my collection, George Montgomery, purchased for me by my wife "Dinah" on our 1st wedding anniversary, 1944. George Montgomery was married to Dinah Shore, the American singer, actress and television personality, from 1943 until 1963. Born Frances Rose Shore, she didn't embrace the stage name Dinah until 1940, accounting for the quotations on the inscription.

Known for their realism, painterly brushwork and use of dramatic chiaroscuro, the Munich School was a highly regarded group of artists in late 19th century Europe. Associated with the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Munich, the art that emerged from this association of painters depicted scenes of landscapes, history, battle and everyday life with drama and intricate detail. 

Alfred Wierusz Kowalski (Polish, 1849-1915) was perhaps the most popular Polish artist of this group. Born in Suwalki, Poland, the pastoral setting of much of Kowalski’s oeuvre was inspired more by the scenery of his childhood than by his environs in Germany. However, his choice of subject matter – hunting, traveling, horse riding – along with his bold brushwork, emotional compositions and attentiveness to detail made him a success amongst collectors and critics alike. Kowalski’s skill earned him exhibitions in Munich, Berlin, Dresden, Paris and Vienna, as well as an honorary position at the Royal Academy.

At first glance, Return from the Hunt is a rather simple scene, with a hunter on horseback accompanied by his two loyal dogs. However, upon closer inspection, the scene becomes a bit more dramatic. Situated in a desolate landscape, the hunter stares ahead with a look of sheer defeat, as if he has been totally drained from his efforts. His face is deeply saddened, his eyes sunken, his expression dazed; even his horse appears exhausted. One small fox is his only bounty from a long, cold day on the hunt. In the background, his companion, or perhaps his competition, appears to have had even less luck. The composition – his choices in color palette, the arrangement and realism of the figures as well as detailed facial expression on the hunter – turns an everyday scene of pastoral life into a possibility of a more dismal scene. 

 Return from the Hunt demonstrates the aesthetics of the Munich School through a scene that may have been pulled directly from Kowalski’s childhood in Poland. As a viewer we can never know exactly what happened on that hunt. Kowalski’s skillful artistry, however, gives us just enough information to understand that there is more to the scene than what meets the eye. 

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