Mid 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Mixed-Media Surrealist Collage Painting – Iii. Aufbruch / 3. Departure

Details

Description

A captivating, gallery-level mid-to-late 20th-century European mixed-media surrealist painting titled III. Aufbruch / 3. Departure. Executed in a precise, illusionistic … Read more A captivating, gallery-level mid-to-late 20th-century European mixed-media surrealist painting titled III. Aufbruch / 3. Departure. Executed in a precise, illusionistic style echoing the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism, this striking composition masterfully explores the themes of time, chance, and transition through a stunning marriage of musical motifs and authentic historical collage.
The artwork features a morphing grand piano keyboard dissolving into an atmospheric, airbrushed color gradient. The true genius of the piece lies in its heavily textured, multi-layered collage elements. The artist has meticulously integrated authentic, burned fragments of 18th-century German administrative court records from Mannheim (written in elegant cursive script detailing financial transactions in Gulden, Kreuzer, and Pfennig), alongside a vintage American Hoyle Maverick playing card, an authentic enameled porcelain pocket watch dial, and hand-painted musical notations ("Sonate"). Thick, high-gloss impasto paint modeling creates a dramatic 3D sculptural texture that beautifully catches the light


Provenance & Construction:

This painting is an exceptional transatlantic puzzle piece. Built on professional continental European mitered stretcher bars featuring original manufacturer dimension stamps (100x70cm frame stock) hidden beneath the canvas edge, the reverse frame displays the bilingual titles "III. AUFBRUCH" and "3. Departure" hand-engraved and penciled directly into the wood. The juxtaposition of historic German documents with a vintage American deck of cards suggests a fascinating cross-cultural history—likely created by a classically trained European surrealist or an expatriate artist, and safely brought to the United States mid-century.
To preserve the dreamlike visual illusion of the canvas, the artist chose to leave the front entirely anonymous, cataloging the work strictly via the hand-carved framework on the reverse.

Condition:

Good Vintage Condition – Wear Consistent with Age. The canvas displays a beautiful age-appropriate patina with minor localized foxing (small vintage aging spots) that organically blends into the antiquarian aesthetic of the collaged historical documents. On the reverse, the original interlocking European mitered wood frame corners and expansion keys remain tightly intact, though the central wooden stretcher support bar has been broken off/removed. Notably, there is a small inward-facing slash/punctured tear at the very bottom edge of the canvas right where the playing card collage elements are placed. The canvas itself remains structurally stable and is securely mounted with original industrial staples. The thick mixed-media textures and delicate antique paper elements are beautifully preserved with intentional, artist-crafted singed edges. See less