Lot 74: AR Mauritz Drougge (Norwegian, 1874-1949) Black Grouse at the lek; Ptarmigan in autumn each 80.5 x 100.5cm (31 11/16 x 39 9/16in)

Mauritz Drougge (Norwegian, 1874-1949)
Black Grouse at the lek; Ptarmigan in autumn a pair, both signed 'Drougge' (lower right)oil on canvaseach 80.5 x 100.5cm (31 11/16 x 39 9/16in)(2)

Mauritz Drougge was an animal, landscape and portrait painter born in Arendal on 5 July 1874. He is best known for the decoration of the inside of the Forestry Pavilion at the Jubilee Exhibition which took place to mark the centennial of the 1814 Constitution at Kristiana from May to October 1914. The location was in the grounds of Frogner Manor and the exhibition was visited by over 1.5 million people over 6 months.It is highly likely that Drougge would have been familiar with his contemporary, Bruno Liljefors, whose pioneering work embodied the change in wildlife art as it emerged from a scientific approach to a more realistic depiction of birds and animals in their natural environment. Drougge also combines Impressionistic brushstrokes and carefully observed realism to produce thoroughly fresh compositions that celebrate the natural behaviour of the birds. In the present lot, we see black grouse displaying at the lek in early spring, and the ptarmigan are shown in the high mountains in the late autumn; their plumage has begun to reveal traces of white which indicates the onset of winter.