Provenance: Julia Feininger

The painter and Bauhaus artist Lyonel Feininger spent much time in the small German village of Umpferstedt. The picturesque town near Weimar became a retreat for Feininger during his time at the Bauhaus school. The serene landscape and tranquil atmosphere of Umpferstedt inspired him to create numerous sketches.

Feininger often explored the area by bicycle and captured the essence of the village in his unmistakable style, which combines cubist influences with a keen eye for light and structures. These sketches of buildings and streets later served him as a compositional basis for drawings and paintings.

Working from a low viewpoint and with a grey charcoal palette, the artist conveys the village church with the solemnity of a cathedral. The work, which finds itself in perfect condition, initially belonged to Julia Feininger, the artist’s second wife.