Lot 1126 D α

The plumage of Alexander Koester's ducks is characterised by delicacy and sensitivity. The painter, who trained as a pharmacist, devoted his life to depicting these water birds. In doing so, he consistently followed the teachings of Heinrich von Zügel, particularly his principles for depicting light on a body. Koester depicted the animals within the surrounding landscape and placed ducks at the center of his compositions without using them as props. Furthermore, the movement of the animals' bodies, the bold angles and perspectives with strong diagonals used by Koester point towards his knowledge of Japanese art and his experiments with the then-new technology of photography. The structure of his paintings is meticulously thought out and subject to a stringent logic.
Harmonious, atmospheric paintings such as "Ducks at the Village Pond" and "Six Ducks at a Pond" testify to Koester's skill in the specific genre of animal painting for which he became famous. The subtle play of light, the colouristic harmony of the motifs, and the sensitive mood of his compositions are also evident in the painting "Blumenkranz," which Dr. Ruth Stein, in her expertise, dates back "several years before the artist's death."
Koester was praised by his contemporaries as a leading exponent of animal painting. In a letter to Koester, the Berlin animal painter Paul Meyerheim wrote after his trip to Africa: "(…) in the tragic African heat that just passed, I managed to capture a young lion on a piece of canvas, whose head I now lay at your feet in the hope that it will not cause too much havoc amongst your dear ducks (…)."