Lot 2294 Dα

The rigour and mysticism in particular of Hans Thoma's works still hold a fascination for the viewer today. Thoma anticipated the important elements of Art Nouveau, New Objectivity and Surrealism with his works, but also reaped fierce rejection from the art recipients of his time. In his last place of residence, Frankfurt, he wrote “how invalid were all the critical attacks I was exposed to, what significance did these superficial remarks have, how little I cared for the rejections my pictures were subjected to by the German art cooperative exhibitions in Berlin and Düsseldorf- I simply did not send any more in - only in Munich was I sure of a friendly reception and sent my pictures to the exhibitions there. In Frankfurt, the time of struggle, of storm and stress of the years before was over, it was peace, peace in me, peace around me, - twenty-five happy years.
The present work is from Thoma's time in Wolfgangstrasse 150 in Frankfurt. The peacefully staged composition of Apollo and Marsyas - quite untypical for its mythological narrative of the two figures - is probably owed to that peaceable time.
To be able to offer a 19th century painting in its original, well-preserved frame is unfortunately no longer a matter of course today. It is therefore all the more pleasing that this frame, designed by Thoma and in very good condition, completes the depiction of Apollo and Marsyas to this day.
In October 1893, Thoma wrote to Henry Thode: “But I have [...] painted frames with flowers and arabesques - they don't look bad at all and give the pictures a feeling of a mural. - The gold frames and stupid carpentry around the pictures are becoming more and more of an atrocity to me.”