Mid-Century Original Folk Art Watercolor Painting of Roman "Via Appia Antica"

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Watercolor on paper, yellowed with age, appr 9.5" x 12.5", unframed.
1949, unsigned student work, a study in perspective by … Read more Watercolor on paper, yellowed with age, appr 9.5" x 12.5", unframed.
1949, unsigned student work, a study in perspective by a 13y old Swedish schoolboy.
I love the simplicity and empty space of the painting.

This painting depicts a scene from the Roman Campagna. A long, straight road flanked by ancient tomb ruins and characteristic Roman umbrella pine trees, which are defining features of the ancient Roman road 'Via Appia Antica'. I found a postcard photograph that I believe may be of the same location (see the image above - NOT included as physical copy in this sale)

The painting style in the image is characterized by bold colors, simplified forms, and a somewhat expressive or direct approach, a use of watercolor in a less detailed, more impressionistic or even naive manner.

The most prominent colors are variations of sunbaked hues ranging from peppery terracotta to dark eggplant on the monuments, a sun-drenched light peachy sand color on the road; suggesting a dry, scorching hot day in late summer. The ground cover features shades of earthy olive green, shifting into mauve and teal in places, the trees are rendered in deep mossy greens, providing a contrast to the warmer tones of the structures and the road. The distant sky is washed in a soft, barely there light sky blue, adding depth and variation to the overall warm palette. See less