Carl Jacob Wilhelm Huhn Sold at Auction Prices

Watercolor painting 'Country farm with peasant family' bu Carl Jacob Wilhelm Huhn (1831-1877)

1872-1874. Paper. watercolor. 27x38.5 cm. Karlis Huns. 1831–1877 Kārlis Hūns’ works simultaneously represent Latvian. Russian and European art of the late 19th century. Hūns will always hold a special place in Latvian art history as the first Latvian who graduated from Saint Petersburg Art Academy with a large gold medal and an opportunity to continue his education abroad. He worked mostly in oil and watercolour. and his favourite subjects were historic events. portraits. landscapes. and figure compositions with representatives of the people. Hūns painted romanticised scenes from the history of France and Russia. He studied a lot of historical materials in order to accurately depict the environment. characters. clothing and accessories. He equally meticulously executed the most minute of details in oil and watercolour. Works relating to Latvia include everyday moments. such as A Latvian Woman by the Wardrobe (Latviete pie skapja). etc. In 1855. 1858. 1859. 1860 and 1861. he received large and small silver and gold medals from the Saint Petersburg Art Academy; he was awarded the academician’s title for his work On the Eve of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre (Bērtuļa nakts priekšvakarā). while A Scene From the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre (Bertula nakts aina) and Gypsy (Čigāniete) earned him a professorship. Between 1865 and 1870 he participated in the Paris Salons. In his paintings Hūns used free brush strokes. expressive textures. and bright colours. He often painted with watercolours. employing a lot of light and shadow contrasts. He was both a studio portraitist and an outdoor painter. The painting up for auction is Farmstead with a Farmer’s Family (Lauku seta ar zemnieku gimeni). which is executed in watercolour and is notable with a clear and light colour palette so characteristic of Hūns. The work has been published on page  45 of Edvarda Šmite’s book Kārlis Hūns. The Beauty of Simple Reality (Vienkāršās tiešamības skaistums Kārlis Hūns) published by Neptuns.