Arthur DoveSunset
Art Bridges Collection
Albert BlochDuell (Duel)
About
After leaving St. Louis (where he worked as a newspaper illustrator) in 1909, Albert Bloch immersed himself in the thrilling artistic atmosphere of Munich, Germany. He banded together with artists Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc, and others, who—after rupturing with —formed the modernist group known as The collective turned away from naturalism, using brilliant color and expressive shapes to explore the spiritual and emotional dimensions of art. Duell (Duel) has a dreamlike palette and forms that border on abstraction. The composition depicts a duel that has just occurred, resulting in the apparent death of the figure in in yellow in the top left quadrant. Bloch’s training as an illustrator enabled him to dramatically capture expressions that convey the vitality of raw, human emotions. Duell (Duel) vibrates with energy and movement; the composition reflects the cross-disciplinary nature of Der Blauer Reiter, a group that celebrated artistic connections across visual art, music, and performance.
Artist
Albert Bloch
Dimensions
39 3/8 × 50 1/4 in. (100 × 127.6 cm) Framed: 50 × 61 × 3 in.
Credit Line
Art Bridges
Date
1912
Medium
Oil on canvas
Object Number
AB.2018.22
Signed
c.r.: [artist's monogram] Marz-April, 1912
Inscriptions
on verso: VIII/2
Provenance
Artist; to Anna Francis Bloch [1913-2014] (Artist’s widow), 1961; to Dr. and Mrs. Greenbaum, Kansas City, MO, until at least 1998. Private Collection, MI; to (Jonathan Boos, New York, NY); to Private Collection, 2010; to (Sotheby’s, New York, NY), November 12, 2018, sale N09930, lot 27; purchased by Art Bridges, TX, 2018
