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1889 Vienna – 1974 Paris
- Title
- “Les Minimes, La Valette”
- signed
- lower right: “W. Eisenschitz”, verso titled
- Technique
- oil on wood
- Measurements
- 36¼ × 25½ in
Willy Eisenschitz was born in Vienna in 1889 to a wealthy Jewish family of lawyers. He entered the Academy of Fine Arts in 1911 but continued his studies at the famous Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris the following year in 1912.
Inspired by Cubism, Expressionism, Fauvism and above all the paintings of Paul Cézanne, Eisenschitz developed an independent style characterized by expressive brushstrokes, balanced compositions, geometrization and the autonomization of color. The high quality of the young painter’s work was rewarded by numerous exhibitions in the highly competitive Parisian art scene. One of the highlights of his successful career as an artist was being awarded a gold medal at the Paris World’s Fair in 1937.
During his study trips, Eisenschitz discovered his love for the south of France and in 1927 he moved with his family to the former monastery “Les Minimes” built in around 1600 in La Valette-du-Var, today a district of Toulon. This new home blessed him with some of his happiest years, characterized by exchanges with numerous artists and full of cheerful evenings accompanied by music.
The present expressive still life entitled “Les Minimes, La Valette” was painted at that time on the Côte d’Azur. It depicts an interior bathed in summer light with a lush variety of flowers and fruit from the extensive gardens of “Les Minimes” and bears witness to the natural lightness of savoir-vivre in the south of France.