Georgios Bouzianis (Greek, 1885-1959) Hof Blick signed (lower right), dated '30' and inscribed indistinctly (lower left); signed 'Jo Busianis' and inscribed 'Hof Blick/Paris' (on the pass-par-tout) watercolour and pencil on paper 41 x 52 cm. Footnotes: Provenance Purchased from the artist and thence by descent to the present owner. In this brilliant piece of fluid colour and evocative form painted during the artist's 'wet period' in Paris,1 all elements of the natural and manmade world2 translate into abstract shapes and shimmering blots and washes of thinned paint laid with a directness that immediately captures the eye. Invested with the lightness of watercolour, this precious jewel conveys a festive sense of carefree joy without losing its identity and coherence. Reviewing the 1932 exhibition of Bouzianis's watercolours at the Barchfeld gallery in Leipzig, art critic M. Schwimmer remarked: 'Employing the most frugal means, the artist conveys powerful and insightful impressions, a sense experience of form and colour more intense than any offered by even the best watercolours by Nolde or Kirchner,'3 while in an essay prefacing the artist's 1965 posthumous retrospective in Athens, art critic G. Mourelos noted: 'Bouzianis's watercolours constitute a monumental accomplishment in contemporary European art.'4 1 Bouzianis himself called this period 'wet' because he focused primarily on watercolour painting. 2 The black iron gate motif in the foreground is used as a vital compositional element and appears in a number of the artist's watercolours from the period. (Compare Yard view in the A. Antonopoulos collection). See also A. Kouria, 55 Unknown Works by Known Greek Artists, ELIA edition, Athens 2002, p. 100. 3 MS, Leipziger Volkszeitung daily, 23.12.1932. 4 G. Mourelos, preface to Bouzianis-Watercolours [in Greek], exhibition catalogue, Greek-American Union, Athens 1965. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: AR AR Goods subject to Artists Resale Right Additional Premium. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com