Monday 31 March 2014

NOID, help requested (and solution)

Identification help requested 

A bit overdue and later as planned because of the extreme early arrival of spring urging me outside and away from the computer, today I share two prints send by reader Gillian. Both sheets are unsigned and could be, but not necessarily, by the same until now unknown printmaker.



Please send and email any suggestions about the maker(s).

Within two days of publishing this posting reader Felicity (www.bellagraphica.com) with her infinite printmakers knowledge and wisdom recognized the Windmill print. Here's her solution:

"Hi Gerrie, the Windmill print you are asking for help to identify is by Ethel Brisley subject Earnley Mill near Chichester. I sold my copy to the guy who is restoring the mill". 


*Ethel C. Brisley (1886-1961) is mainly known for her illustrations and this one mill print. 
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There's still some uploading work to be done but opening soon (have peak):

www.galeriesouris.nl


  

Thursday 20 March 2014

Jan Uri

Jan Uri

(Assen 1888 – 1979 Amstelveen)

obscured Dutch painter, graphic artist, arts and crafts -drawing  teacher.









Some time ago I tried to figure out the maker of this 1922 Resting Tiger*. The signature was very faded and illegible. Recently however I found another (but  sadly a ruined) copy of the tiger print but this time signed loud and clear: Jan Uri



Before I knew Jan Uri I've guessed the resting tiger could have been made by Johannes ten Kloooster (1873-1940), above, although it was not mentioned in his catalogue raisonnĂ©. It seems obvious Jan Uri had knowledge of the works of his colleague painter and printmaker.


I think Jan Uri is probably only known to his family and a handful of insiders, but recently very near my home a local museum was given three paintings created probably during a stay or holiday in Friesland in the 1950’s. 

Jan Uri was born in a family going back to 17th French Hugenote families (Uri, Ury) arriving through Hanau in Germany to the Netherlands in the 18th century. A distant cousin Jeanne earned a professorship in biology. 
Jan Uri, Barn interior.

Uri born with a talent for drawing however entered the Rijks-Academie voor Beeldende kunst in 1908 and later became a teacher at the “Dag-tekenopleiding voor meisjes” (young ladies drawing school), at the Quellinius Arts and Craft School and the Midveld College in Amsterdam. The tiger most probably spend his life in Amsterdam Artis ZOO.
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In Artis Zoo Uri will have met many artist colleagues (follow the Tag below) some of whom were quite famous in their days because of their talent painting animals like: Henricus Rol (1906-1992) he did many watercolors of the Zoo's big cats for the famous 1938 Verkade album “Artis” (above). 

His father Cornelis Rol (1877-1963) designed the covers. In all 31 volumes were published, in great numbers, between 1906 and 1940. Collectable in the 1970-80’s and now again to be found for sale for scratch. Some of the finest contemporary artists co-operated in these illustrated albums.

Since not many examples of Jan Uri's art can be found here are some more tiger painting specialists I know of.  

Bernard Willem Wierink (1865-1939), also almost forgotten now, had a special talent for the big cats. Besides a painter he was also a very fine woodblock printmaker. He will appear soon in personal posting showing them. 

Internationally British artists Herbert Dicksee (1862-1942) and Raymond Sheppard (1890-1980) were equally impressed by the tigers in London Zoo.

And German Wilhelm Kuhnert (1865-1926) who was famous for his wild life paintings on location including tigers.


All pictures borrowed freely from the Internet for friendly,educational and non commercial use only.
Visit my new swap and shop gallery: Galerie Souris or Mousehole Gallery. 
It hasn't opened officially but you're invited to have a peek. 
You'll find the Resting Tiger and many other works of art/ 

Saturday 15 March 2014

Arthur Paunzen, a forgotten etcher

Arthur Paunzen

(Vienna 1890- 1940 Isle of Man)

Austrian etcher print- and bookplate maker.



(selfportriat)


I would have never dreamed finding this portrait of an old lady and investigate it’s maker would lead me from a turn of the century Vienna bakery to the Isle of Man all the way to Manila in the Philippines but also to Beethoven's mask.
 
Arthur Paunzen first studied art in Vienna, under Ludwig Koch. He was born the son of a baker in Vienna. He then moved to Paris and studied at the Academie Julian, under Jean Pierre Laurens. Shortly after the end of World War One (1914-1918) Arthur Paunzen began exhibiting his art in both Austria and Germany (Paunzen however was a self-taught graphic artist). 
   Gustav Mahler,                    portrait of an unknown man. 
Among his most famous works at this time were his symbolic etchings based upon masterworks of classical music, such as, "Phantasien uber Beethoven-Symphonien" (Fantasies upon Beethoven Symphonies) and Gustav Mahler’s, "Das Lied von der Erde" (Songs of the Earth).

As Arthur Paunzen was Jewish, he fled Austria in 1938 (the year Hitler annexed the country) and settled in England. Regrettably, in 1940, British war measures called for the internment of all Austrians and Germans, regardless of refugee status. 

Arthur Paunzen was taken to the Central Internment Camp, Douglas, Isle of Man, and died several months later of bronchial pneumonia. The composer, Hans Gal (1890-1987) was also interned there, and wrote in his diary (“Music Behind Barbed Wire”) that Paunzen’s death occurred at least partly through medical neglect.

This Ludwig Beethoven (1770-1927) portrait, I think his finest of the several he made, is after the mask made from Beethovens face by Franz Klein in 1812 when Beethoven was 42. The mask was commissioned by the fortepiano-building family Nanette and Andreas Streicher. Most of Beethovens many portraits are based on this mask. Like my favorite by Franz Hanfstaengl (1804-1877) and looking over my piano and this haunting and most realistic composite image of Beethoven by Gwen Baloch of the American Beethoven Society.     

Pauntzen will have known famous dancer Trudl Dubsky (1913-1976) well enough to take her clothes of and sit (or dance) for him for this personal bookplate. He was also acquainted with conductor-composer and music teacher Herbert Zipper (1904-1997). 

This couple met and married in 1939 in Manila before the War and later moved to California. Dubsky worked in Vienna and London before she moved to the Philippines and Ziller, as a jew, miraculously surviving Dachau concentration camp but was later again interned by the Japanese when they captured the city of Manila. 

Trudl Zipper-Dubsky left her memories in a delightful book showing she was besides a famous dancer an accomplished painter too. Her account of "Manila as I saw it” in watercolours was created in 1945-46.  Read more about this interesting couple here*.

Arthur Pauntzen’s biography I borrowed from “Art ofthe print” a print gallery in Ontario and source of many fine prints and also of artist information. Paunzens  works are collected in Vienna, in Princetown, the Albertina and in the British Museum.

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 Galerie Souris

All pictures borrowed freely from the Internet for friendly educational and non commercial use only. 

Saturday 8 March 2014

Arie van der Boon: Groningen

Arie van der Boon
1886-1961

Dutch painter, etcher and printmaker.


Against the will of his parents Arie left home and family and his native Zutphen on river IJssel and enlisted in the Academie voor Beeldende Kunst in the Haque in 1903. To leave this institute in 1905 disappointed and taking up private lessons from Louis Willem van Soest (1867-1949) known for his winter landscape paintings and later from landscape painter Derk Wiggers (1866-1933). He was also influenced by Jan Voerman Sr. (1857-1941) the celebrated river IJssel, cattle, landscape and still-life painter (follow the label/tag below) 

Soon after he left for Belgium, wandered around empoverished to finally settle on Wiggers advice in the rural village of Rolde in the beautiful province of Drenthe. Not far from Groningen. There he stayed and worked the rest of life organizing annual exhibition sales of his work: paintings, drawings, etchings and linocut prints.  

Recently I found this charming, gloomy winter etching, with an illegible signature, showing the Driemolendrift and the der AA-Kerk (A-kerk) in my native city of Groningen. My grandparents lived around the corner and my parents started their married life here, right in this ancient street.


The area today is demolished and rebuild but once these characteristic houses with typical front door stairs were part of the medieval city walls and build over the arsenals and powder and ammunition bunkers below. 

Finding the ca. 1900 photograph shows how fine and skilled a draughtsman Arie van der Boon really was. With his contemporary Waalko Dingemans (1873-1925), who was bred and taught in Groningens own Minerva Art Academy they are my two favorite Groningen artists and etchers. More of his Groningen later.    

Curious as always I investigated a bit more resulting in this posting with some  examples of Arie van der Boon's art and this matching wintery Groningen etching of the Walstreet and that other landmark of the North, the Martini tower or "Olle Grize" (the old gray-one). It's on my wish list*. Offers and swapping of prints welcomed, also by Dingemans. 

All pictures borrowed freely from the Internet for friendly, educational and non commercial use only.
  
Have a glimpse at my new endeavor and project, it's still under construction and progress. There's daily uploading of new works, prints, paintings, etchings etc.. from my collections.  
 Galerie Souris