M. Balastié Art

Gustav Melcher (German, 1898-?) Segelschiffe vor Venedig - Sailing ships off Venice • India ink, water colour wash • Visible image ca. 11.5 x 18 cm • Glased Frame ca. 20 x 25 cm • Verso various inscriptions • Signed lower right Gustav Melcher was a German painter and a pioneer in film, film criticism and film theory and created this clever little picture of the skyline of Venice with various vessels. Going by the various inscriptions an the backing paper, this drawing was made in 1918 when Gustav was twenty years old and passed on three years later to Gertrud Melcher on the 1. 2. 1921. I have no reasons to doubt this information. The small drawing is still in its unopened frame, so maybe there is more information to be discovered , however this will be the privilege of the next owner. The picture also has retained its original antique frame – note that it has lost over the years various sections of the gesso decoration. The very precisely executed drawing is most enjoyable to look at and doing so, remember you are looking through the eyes of a young man, who saw this foreign sea cape over a century ago. Thank you for your interest and please note, that I offer free worldwide shipping on all my items. Gustav Melcher began his studies at the Düsseldorfer Kunstakademie under Peter Janssen and Eduard von Gebhardt. Originaly he was interested in figurative and portrait painting, but after time he decided to pursue the depiction of land- and marinescapes. Durin his studies the young artist undertook trips to visit England, Scotland, Belgium and France and he joined the artist society Malkasten. It was in those days he would hold speeches to his colleges about this new invention called ‘Kintopp’ – Melcher was a great advocate of the moving pictures...

'Les Alyscamps Arles', watercolour on art paper, by Yves Brayer (1977). This term has its origins and is related to the Elysian Fields, also called Elysium, which is the final restin...

Reginald Marsh "Manhattan Bridge" NYC American Scene Modernism Watercolor WPA Urban Realism, 20 x 14 inches. Watercolor and pencil on paper, 1938. Signed...

This Ink and watercolour masterpiece is featured in Bloomsbury's 2011 publication, showcasing the artist's sketchbook (Note 1). Created en plein air, Shizico Yi painted this piece in...

Alphonse Mucha (Czech, 1860 - 1939) Medieval Thoughts, circa 1890 Wash, ink, and watercolor on paper 11 x 9 inches Signed lower right Provenance: Phillips New York, 19th and 20th ce...

Lennard Lewis (British, 1826 - 1913) View of the Lago Maggiore and the Mountains of southern Switzerland • Water colour on paper • Signed and dated low...

Montsouris by Paulémile Pissarro (1884 - 1972) Watercolour and charcoal on paper 33 x 25 cm (13 x 9 ⁷/₈ inches) Signed lower right, Paulémile- Pissarro. and titled lower left Execu...

William Daniell (British, 1769-1837) Bridged Fortification in a Mountainous River • Blue wash on paper, laid on card, ca. 18 x 32 cm • Presented behi...

Signed and dated (at lower right): BROSEN•20 A native New Yorker, Brosen has spent a lifetime wandering its streets, discovering its long history and witnessing its constant metamor...

Neapolitan gouaches appeared in the eighteenth century when tourism in the Naples area was developing: the discoveries of Herculaneum and Pompeii made this city a mandatory stop on the Grand Tour, the journey made by wealthy Europeans to complete their education. Generally small in size for ease of transport and affordable in price, these gouaches were the ideal travel souvenir that these tourists of the early days were bringing back to capture the idyllic landscapes they had discovered during their journey and to share them with family and friends upon their return at home. The Bay of Naples and the eruptions of Vesuvius are the favourite themes of these views. Here we have a view of the Ovo Castle, which was rebuilt on the island of Partenope, in the middle of the Bay of Naples and about a hundred metres from the shore by the Normans in the 12th century on antique ruins...

Edward Hopper 1882-1967 American Group of Houses Signed “Edward Hopper” (lower right) Watercolor and pencil on paper Edward Hopper is unparalleled in his depiction of the America...

Harvest Time The Hills of Mt Tamalpais near Lake Bon Tempe 1890s The Hills around San Rafael in the 19th century were a time of work and play as seen in this watercolor near Lake Bon...