LOT 19
Roland Strasser
B. Austria, 1895-1974
Bali Beach Scene
Inscribed and signed “Strasser Bali” on lower right
Signed “Roland STRASSER” on lower left
Signed and titled on the reverse
Gouache on paper
50 x 37 cm
Provenance Private Collection, Canada
Comes with original 1973 cheque for purchase of painting by consignor, with artist’s cheque signature endorsement affixed on the reverse
RM 5,000 – RM 8,000
“During five years of wandering in the heart of Asia, I accepted my experiences and impressions like such a child. But now that it is over, I feel the impulse to note down and retain, while they are still vivid, some at least of the strange and thrilling impressions that crowd upon me, in the shape of a few descriptive and open sketches.” His vivacious paintings, creations and drawings captured and depicted the lives of subjects from cultures and societies that are still considered “exotic” by European viewers. He was once described by one of his admirers as “a strange, restless painter, who disappears for years…” and he was known for painting subjects that were complicated or even risky to paint.
Roland Strasser was born in Vienna in 1895 and was of Basque descent. He was one of the great painter/adventurers of the early 20th century, and one of the last Orientalist romantics. Strasser first studied art with his father – whose family name was Quiriqez — a member of the Viennese Sucession movement who taught at the Academy of Fine Arts and was known for his small scale polychrome ceramic sculptures and also for a bronze of Marc Antony that he created for the 1900 Paris World Exhibition.