Ferdinand Schmutzer
(1870-1928)
painter, etcher,
printmaker, sculptor, professor, portraitist,
and able early photographer
(left etching, right photo)
(left etching, right photo)
was a contemporary and
acquaintance of turn-of-the-century celebrities like Albert Einstein, psychoanalyst and shrink Sigmund Freud, composer Richard Strauss, cellist Pablo Casals, violinist Josef
Joachim and many others including royalties. He and his wife Alice, né Schnabel, entertained in Villa Schmutzer in the Stenwartestrasse and Schmutzer portrayed them all. Their home the centre of intellectual, literary, musical and artistic life in Vienna.
Viewed in the
context of printmaking Schmutzer, appointed professor in the Vienna Kunst Akadamie in 1908, was teacher to Norbertine Bresslern-Roth (1891-1978). Besides world famous for her woodblock animal prints she is less known for creating other work like her self-portrait (left) and this pastoral reclining Diana in her unmistakingly style. Besides she was a very couragious woman defying Nazi intimidations because of her husband having a Jewish mother.
See here* for some excelent references and biography of Norbertine Bresslern-Roth. 
Not long
ago, in the former residence of the Schmutzers in Vienna, an unexpected treasure was discovered. Thousands of photo's and glass-negatives giving a rare insight in the creative use of early photography. Among them a great many portraits of important and famous people and intimate views in their world, house and studio. Like early photographer and painter George Hendrik Breitner (1857-1923) in Amsterdam and likewise Anders Zorn (1860-1920) in Sweden, Schmutzer understood and put to use the immens possibillities of early photography when in the hands of a creative and skilled artist.
From different sources and locations I scratched together examples showing there is no distinct dividing line between artistic photography and other
forms of art since the invention of capturing lasting images on glass or paper.
Artist like
Rudolf van Alt (1812-1905), great painter in the footsteps of his father, could only have dreamed
about such possibilities he and his father had to do without. Here are two equally phenomenal
portraits by Schmutzer of a monumental man in his late eighties (1898), the etching (left) made with the help of the mirrored photo negative (right).
Note this etched portrait is hanging on the wall in Schmutzers studio in front of the model. Note also the notched cord hanging next to the standing model. A simple yet effective scaling device. But as you can see Schmutzer did not use the cord (it's strapped-up!) but instead he used the actual photograph for his etching (of which I sadly couldn't find a better image). Schmutzer, the sculptor, pioneer in the world of etching revival became engaged after seeing Rembrandt's etchings while visiting the Netherlands in 1894-96. He was also the first creating etchings in a large, not used before format and inventing and using new tools and instruments. The photographic negative glass plate one of them.
L: A 1894 build German Dressler camera, the year young Ferdinand (24) started his photographic career.
To be continued soon
The Schmutzer photo treasure is published: Ferdinand Schmutzer, Das photographische Werk 1894-1928 ISBN 978-3-9812344-1-1.
Gerrie - Schmutzer is a really important artist who seems to have been almost forgotten. And the discovery of his photographic work just shows how in tune with the moment he was. Great post.
ReplyDeleteI had to stumble over Schmutzers etchings, having met many etchers and printmakers during my internet excavations, then saw your and Clive's tributes. It's through the photos he recently again is receiving more attention, although his etched portraits and his skills are great. There's as much Rembrandt legacy in Schmutzer as in Brangwyn I think. Also in his photo's which he turns into etched marvels. It's a pity the book on his photo's is rather expensive, but some 600 are online from the Austrian Museum. Thanks!
ReplyDelete