Bridge in Arno
Signed Leander Engström. Executed around 1920. Oil on panel 41 x 33 cm.
Nils Palmgren, Leander Engström, 1947, compare with "Arno, Florence," 1920, mentioned p. 115, illustrated p. 49.
After the First World War, the borders reopened and Leander Engström travelled, along with his Swedish artis friends, Einar Jolin, Ragnar Hoppe, and Gregor Paulsson, to Italy via London and Paris.
The Italian landscape with cypress trees, fields, and stone houses made a deep impression, and Engström began to paint with an intense and vibrant palette, far removed from his earlier lighter style. In particular, the Arno River in Florence became a favourite spot, where he depicted everyday life and created some of his most expressive works. The painting in this auction, dating from around 1920, reflects this newfound joy of creation and the artist's strong impressions of Italy.