This 1952 watercolor landscape is by Carl Barnaš (1879-1953), German painter, printmaker, and art restorer. He was born in Friedberg, Germany and studied art in Kassel and Berlin before moving to Paris to study at Academie Julien-Colarossi. Barnaš traveled and painted plein air landscapes throughout Europe, especially in Holland, Belgium, and England, before fleeing Nazi Germany in the 1930s. The Barnaš family moved to Quito, Ecuador, where Barnaš taught at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes. Unable to make a living as an artist in Ecuador's poor economy, Barnaš harnessed his technical skill and creative abilities to open a restoration studio in 1938. Throughout the 1940s, he restored several hundred 17th and 18th century colonial paintings in Quito's churches and monasteries, as well as works in private collections. A dedicated plein air painter, Barnaš often joined the Central University of Quito's science department; journeying to remote Amazonian and Andean locations and painting landscapes and botanical illustrations.
1952 Watercolor on Paper 14.5"x17.5" framed, 11"x14" unframed
Signed and dated lower right. Excellent vintage condition. Framed floating in a contemporary wood frame with a stained walnut finish using clear spaces and archival matting behind conservation clear glass.