A. Carmel and H. Schmid, The Life and Work of Gustav Bauernfeind, Orientalist Painter 1848-1904, Stuttgart, 1990, pl.139 (illustrated). H. Schmid, ed. Gustav Bauernfeind: Die Reise nach Damascus 1888/1889, Tübingen and Basel, 1996, p. 114 (illustrated). A. Carmel, In the Land of the Blue Skies: The Story of Gustav Bauernfeind, Orientalist Painter, 1848-1904, Haifa, 1999, fig. 17, (illustrated).
Provenance
with Borghi & Co., New York. Acquired from the above by the present owner.
Notes
Adolf Closs, wood engraving, 8 3/4 x 12 3/4 in. (22.1 x 32.2 cm.), Stuttgart.
Property from a Distinguished Collection
Gustav Bauernfeind, arguably the most skilled of the German Orientalists, was initially trained as an architect. Following his graduation from the Stuttgart Polytechnic Institute, he first joined the architectural office of Professor Wilhelm Bäumer and later that of Adolph Gnauth, where he made the transition from architect to painter. After having difficulty selling German village scenes, he took the advice of his friends and colleagues and decided to visit the Middle East and alter the manner of his painting in accordance with the contemporary vogue.
Bauernfeind made three trips to the Orient before finally settling in Jerusalem in 1896, the first to Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon and briefly Syria in 1880-81. His sister and brother-in-law were living in Beirut at the time and helped the artist establish a base there. Prior to his trip, they sent him a letter describing the area:
"Everything which is in our power to do to make the Orient pleasant and interesting shall be done. Of course, I must tell you beforehand, you will find Syria to be no Italy. No such abundance of architectural art treasures are to be expected here; all the same, I should think that in spite of this, an artist could find a worthwhile field for his studies here, and would not regret his journey. Beirut perhaps has the least to offer-in very great contrast to the highland, which do not lack for ruined stately homes and castles. Damascus, too, is at all events interesting; I haven't been there yet, but from what I've heard tell it is a city whose Oriental character is still the least diluted by European civilization" (A. Carmel and H. Schmid, The Life and Work of Gustav Bauernfeind, Orientalist Painter 1848-1904, Stuttgart, 1990, p.91).
In 1884, during his second trip to the Middle East, Bauernfeind properly discovered Damascus. This second journey, which would last more than three years, was the most extensively documented by the artist. He recorded his impressions of the people and the region and his day to day experiences in the Syrian capital. In a letter to his mother dated from early 1885 the artist described Damascus as "a city which has hardly been touched by civilization". He clearly had been captivated by the unique aspect of this ancient city which was also home to one of the world's greatest Mosques, the Ummayad Mosque. The latter, which would soon become one of the artist's major sources of inspiration, lead to the creation of some of his most beautiful works (fig. 1).
In Street Scene, Damascus the artist narrates his personal experience in the city. The composition depicts him in a street surrounded by locals, all gathered around him in obvious curiosity. The focus of the composition is the artist himself, sketching as was his wont in the streets of the Syrian capital. He is surrounded by an intent group of men in varied and colorful costumes, who close in around him, curious and somewhat concerned. The artist himself has paused in his work, pencil raised as if answering a question put to him by one of the on-lookers. This circle of interest defines the composition. It begins as a tight knot pressed up against the artist himself and radiates outward to the two woman standing across the street, too timid to approach the group immediately surrounding the artist, to the mother who reaches for her two curious children as if to pull them back from the strange foreigner, to the child who hangs out of the window in order to view the scene from above. This circle of curiosity even includes the camel in the foreground that has turned his head as if he too is interested in the usual scene taking place in the street.
Without doubt one of the most important and interesting works in the artist's oeuvre, Street Scene in Damascus illustrates on canvas the detailed records of Baeurnfeind's journey to Damascus as recorded in his letters and diary. Despite the fact that there are no exact records of this specific painting, there are passages in the aforementioned letter to his mother which express striking similarities to the scene that is being depicted, and which point precisely to details such as the hat he is wearing and the locals reactions:
"I am almost known everywhere in the city [Damascus] as the M'Sauer (painter), a triumph that does credit to my activity. It is an absolute delight to see how inquisitively these folk follow the doings of Europeans, and what hilarious comments they often make regarding the subject. My traveling hat has elicited a number of these. Some are quite amazed that I should have a parasol on my Tarboosh (the red hat they wear); others called me the Father of the Casserole (Abu Aanshereh) because my hat looked like I'd clapped a pot on my head..."(Ibid, p.98).
Nevertheless, even though Bauernfeind was amused at first by the attention he would attract in the Syrian capital, he very soon became aggravated by it as it kept him from working. As Islam forbade the depiction of the prophet many regarded drawing and painting as a sin at the time and there was therefore very little representational art. Consequently, Bauernfeind was unable to work in situ as the locals would constantly either harass him or disturb him with their curiosity. He also had begun his visit to Damascus during the winter which disabled him to paint anything while he was there as he experienced an important lack of light.
Street Scene in Damascus must have therefore been painted in the artist's studio in Munich around 1887, after his return from this second journey. There is a single wood engraving that is recorded of this work (fig. 2) and that was later illustrated in 1896 in Uber Land und Meer (vol. 76, p. 465) and in 1897 in Illustriete Welt (vol. 45, p. 81). There is however no mention of our painting being sold in the artist's estate sale, which probably means he had already sold it to one of his clients in London or America. It was long thought that Street Scene in Damascus was lost or perhaps even destroyed during the war. The only record there was of it apart from the engraving, was a photograph which appeared in various books (cf. literature).
Clearly a key work, Street Scene in Damascus incorporates all of the elements for which Bauernfeind is most famous: his exceptional understanding of the architecture, his minute attention to detail and most of all his beautiful use of color and light. It could also perhaps be seen as the precursor to Baeurnfeind's street scenes. One of his most famous paintings from 1890, Street Scene in Jaffa (fig.3) is very similar in composition. Jaffa (today called Yafo) was the industrial metropolis of Tel Aviv where Bauernfeind spent the other part of his time during his trips to the Middle East. As a result, he would later decide to settle in the German Templar Colony in Jerusalem in 1896, where he would spend his last years. He passed away on Christmas Eve in 1904. One could say from Bauernfeind's letters that it seemed like he almost had a love hate relationship with Damascus and the Middle East in general, given the working conditions he had to face while he was there. In his records of his third and last trip to Damascus in 1888-1889 when he worked on the Ummayad Mosque, one could see how difficult and frustrating it had become for him to work. Nevertheless, he was always driven back to these lands. Alex Carmel writes: "The only explanation for Baeurnfeind's remarkable conduct is that he wished to immerse himself totally in the life and ambiance of Damascus. No one "abroad"-that is in his homeland- could have anything to teach him any more. He alone, as no other "Faranji painter" before him, had fully experienced the place first hand" (ibid. p. 121).
(fig. 1)The Foreground of the Great Mosque, oil on canvas, (Private collection)
(fig. 2) Engraving after Street Scene in Damascus
(fig. 3) Street Scene in Jaffa, Procession of the Dervishes, 1890 (Najd Collection) Courtesy of Mathaf Gallery.
