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Lot description
(Vienna 1844–1926 Grafenegg) May, first version from the Twelve-Month Cycle, signed O. Wisinger-Florian, oil on panel, 106 x 80 cm, framed Provenance: Private Collection, Austria, for three generations. Exhibited: Künstlerhaus Vienna, 1895. We are grateful to Dr Alexander Giese for kindly confirming the authenticity on the basis of the original and its inclusion to the Catalogue Raisonneé. Künstlerhaus label 3818, 1895 confirmed by Nikolaus Domes, MA. Conceived between 1890 and 1892, Olga Wisinger-Florian’s ambitious cycle The Twelve Months represents a pinnacle in her career. First exhibited at the Künstlerhaus in Vienna in 1893, and subsequently in Munich and Berlin, the series was conceived as both a poetic meditation on the passage of time and a demonstration of artistic mastery. Each painting interprets a month of the year through close-up observations of nature, transforming seasonal change into a reflection on life’s transience. The present painting, is identifiable as the first version of this motif within the cycle. In this sense it holds special significance, preserving the freshness of Wisinger-Florian’s initial conception. The composition exemplifies the characteristic duality of the series: meticulous exactitude in the rendering of the central motif set against a more atmospheric handling of its surroundings. This interplay of precision and looseness draws the viewer into a concentrated encounter with nature while evoking a wider seasonal mood. Wisinger-Florian regarded The Twelve Months as a personal tour de force, and they remain among the most accomplished and original achievements in Austrian painting of the fin de siècle. Rooted in the poetic realism of her teacher Emil Jakob Schindler yet wholly independent in vision, the series transforms natural detail into a modern and deeply personal artistic language. As the first version of May, preserved in its original frame, the present work represents a central and highly significant document of this landmark project.