Artwork
Landscape with Flight of Stairs
Landscape with Flight of Stairs is an oil painting by Chaïm Soutine. It dates from 1922 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1922, *Landscape with Flight of Stairs* is an oil painting by Chaïm Soutine, a Belarusian‑Jewish artist linked to the School of Paris. The work belongs to the National Gallery of Ireland’s collection and depicts an outdoor scene where a set of stairs leads toward a modest house framed by trees and an open sky.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a flight of stairs that dominate the foreground, guiding the viewer’s eye toward a distant dwelling nestled among foliage. The juxtaposition of the constructed staircase and the natural landscape suggests a dialogue between human intervention and the surrounding environment, inviting contemplation of movement through space and the passage of time.
Technique & Style
Soutine applies oil paint with a pronounced tactile quality, allowing brushstrokes and impasto to remain visible. The palette is restrained, favoring muted greens, browns, and earth tones that convey a subdued atmosphere. This handling of shape, color, and texture aligns with his expressionist approach, emphasizing emotional resonance over precise representation.
History & Provenance
The painting was executed shortly after Soutine settled in Paris, a period when he was establishing his reputation within the city’s avant‑garde circles. It entered the National Gallery of Ireland’s holdings through acquisition in the mid‑20th century, where it has remained on public display, contributing to the museum’s representation of early 20th‑century European art.
Context
Soutine’s work reflects the influence of 19th‑century European masters while simultaneously breaking from academic realism. By 1922, he was developing a personal visual language that prioritized emotional intensity, a hallmark of the broader expressionist movement. *Landscape with Flight of Stairs* exemplifies this synthesis, situating a seemingly simple rural scene within a modernist framework.
Artist & collection
Artist
Chaïm Soutine (French: ; Russian: Хаим Соломонович Сутин, romanized: Khaim Solomonovich Sutin; Yiddish: חײם סוטין, romanized: Chaim Sutin; 13 January 1893 – 9 August 1943) was a French painter of Belarusian-Jewish…
