Lot 1557 Dα

Koester began his career painting landscapes and genre pieces, but when he exhibited his paintings of ducks for the first time in Berlin in 1899, they achieved immediate renown. This new motif lent itself well to his innovative method of painting. His compositions appear very modern, like zoomed in photographs, a fact doubtlessly relating to Koester's interest in this new medium. The arrangement of the ducks in the sunlight upon the amorphous body of water follows a strict logic. Koester's preoccupation with this motif was based not only on his interest in the animals themselves, but also the varied compositional opportunities offered by the projection of light and shadow upon the surfaces of the water and their feathers. Here, he captures the lively movement of the scenery and the flock of ducks with just a few, generous brushstrokes.