Jiri John - Fin d’Automne "1969, oil on canvas laid down on wood panel, 45 x 40cm, signed and dated lower right: John 69, bottom right dedication to the famous Czech architect and professor Frantisek Cubr (1911–1976), author of many significant architectural designs, such as the iconic Expo 58 building: 'To Frantisek Cubr with friendship' verso number 16525 and number 22" Provenance: - collection of Jiri John - collection of architect Frantisek Cubr Expertise by a leading authority, Professor Jaromir Zemina (recognized expert and author of a monograph on Jiri John), enclosed. Professor Jaromir Zemina, remarked: “The painting is from John's late creative period, marked by the kidney disease which proved fatal for him at the age of forty-nine. His worsening illness and impending death left their mark on his paintings of the time. John was fond of the early spring, but it was at this point that he began to paint autumn and winter subjects, symbolizing the waning of strength and the end of the cycle of life. He painted several autumn paintings in 1969, including The End of Autumn. The main motif in this work is an indefinable, mysterious purple formation, which evokes the image of a torn leaf falling from a tree and borne aloft, but also of flames in the wind. This formation is also found in two paintings from the same period entitled The Roaring of Autumn, but it is of a different colour and clearer outline . Another distinctive motif in The End of Autumn is a red object lying on the ground that resembles a pinecone; in the two other paintings mentioned, it is adorned with a walnut kernel and something resembling a peach pit. The value of the painting is enhanced by John’s personal dedication of the work to the architect Frantisek Cubr, co-author of the Czechoslovak pavilion at Expo 58 in Brussels. The French wording of the title on the back of the painting suggests that it was intended for exhibition in either France or Switzerland, in which case the number 22 probably indicates a catalogue number.” Further consulted with Dr Irena Zantovska Murray HonFRIBA, Dr Jiri Machalicky and Vladimir Lekes.