Thursday 21 January 2016

A.T. = Angela Treu and some considerations.

Angela Treu 

?


Cleaning up and arranging picture files for the publication of my German Women Artists, born 1850-1900, involved in modern color woodblock printmaking Lexicon (I agree: a mouthful to cover the contents. Suggestions for an appropriate but shorter title welcomed)*. 



Somewhere(?), sometime (nov. 2012) I found the picture (not the print) of this toucan monogrammed A.T. and somehow(?) scribbled the name Angela Treu, but never was able to find an artist by that name. 



The only artist (I know of) befitting these inititials is August Trummer (b.1946 -) from Graz.   But I doubt he's the one (above left). As a printmaker he wrote the catalogue-raisonné on  Carl Rotky's (1891-1977) prints and obviously was influenced a lot by the master from Graz (above right). Lovely prints with lovely Rotky pastel colors.   

The artist A.T. must have had access to a Zoo (Tiergarten/Tierpark) nearby: Dresden, Berlin, Graz ?





Dresden printmaker Martin Erich Philipp (1887-1978) saw his family of "Pfeffer-fresser" (species of South American toucan family) no doubt in Dresden Zoo. He created his first print in 1909 (cat. D7) and decided to  do it again in 1924 (cat. D17).



Dutch printmaker Ed Jeska, artist name of Jan Staats Kiewiet (1899-1977) will have seen his toekan-bird in Artis ZOO in Amsterdam and so will have  Willem Hendrik van den Berg (1886-1970) a not widely known painter and printmaker and director of Amsterdam Rijks-Academie 1938-1953.  



Samuel Jesserun de Mesquita (1868-1944) -above- was a regular visitor of Artis ZOO and was even named the "Master of Artis" which did not prevent him being murdered in Auschwitz. Today there is a renewed interest in his wonderful woodblocks and in 2005 a monograph  (380 pages) was published. 



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(*) a Title

(Friedrich Fabrizius Max Karl Freiherr) or short: Fritz von Ostini  (1861-1927) -left- was an influential German editor, author humorist and lyric. He wrote the monograph's of a dozen or so contemporary painters (many famous and all male). He is most renowned for his "verdict" on woman painters calling them  "Malweibchen" in 1914. I think "painting bitches" comes close as to describe the contempt he held for women-art and women artists. Not very humorous, not a nice man. Women artist had suffered greatly to reach to the levels and positions they'd earned in 1914 and still not being admitted or allowed in the Academies. After the death of Anton von Werner (1943-1915) who had been in charge of the Berlin "Hochschule für Bildende Künste" from 1875(!) and personally stood between admittance of women in the Academy it became only possible for women to enter the Academie in 1919 after WW1 had ended.  


Datei:Edmundhellmer.jpgSome teachers, like Vienna professor sculptor Edmund Ritter von Hellmer (1850-1935) -right- declared openly it to be "a waste of time educating women as artists since they married anyway". Despite chauvinist pigs like Ostini and von Hellmer there were women who by sheer perseverance managed to have a career. Discovering this new technique and creating the most fantastic woodblock prints (and other works of art of course) never surpassed in originality and quality in the history of Art to this day.


"Druckweiber" (printmaking galls ?) would be a "fun" title, with historical meaning and relevance, but of course could easily be explained as inappropriate. Many of the women artists (most of them Ladies) involved in early printmaking, let us say from the start of Orlik's Berlin training classes, from 1905 onwards, were not "galls" but accomplished artists  already in their 40's and 50's when attending. 



     
Orliks 1905 poster (although it says 1895 when Orlik still was in Munich, for the "Verein der Berliner Künstlerinnen". A welcome gift to the  Berlin colleagues and sisters he would soon co-operate with, in the year of his appointment in Berlin? Or more probable: commissioned by its director Margarethe Hoenerbach 1848-1924).
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All pictures borowwed freely from the Internet for friendly, educational and non commercial use only.  

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Elli Winiarz: Berlin Cats and Dogs

Winiarz, Elli

(Cöslin, now Koszalin in Poland  04-03-1875 – after 1926 Berlin ?)

Painter, pastellist and etcher.


A name I stumbled upon working through the wonderful but very rare 1924 "Lissner und Wohlgemut" catalog of graphic art(*) helpful reader Holger was so kind sending my copies of recently. An almost, and as you may judge your selfs, very undeservedly forgotten artist who is mainly known for her incredibly fine pastels of cats and dogs. Some seem to have been published as postcards, I found a handful Googling. She studied in the “Staatliche Kunstschule” in Berlin and traveled to Belgium. 



In auctions she sometimes seems to be is mixed up with: (Jerzy) Edward Winiarz (1892-1928). This may be because both artists are, as far as I know, not mentioned in any Artist Lexicon. She is also not mentioned among the members of the VdBK in Berlin. 



(*) Represented in the 1924 “Lissner und Wohlgemut Grafik Katalog” with 3 etchings: “Smeichelkätzchen (below)”, “Muschi”, and “Peterle”, (one shown): priced 9 Reichsmark. Quote: “Das Wesen der Tiere, besonders die mysteriöse Schönheit der Katze zu ergründen, ist die Triebfeder zu meinen künstlerische Bestrebungen”. (To fathom the character, the mysterious beauty of the cat in perticular, is my artistic aspiration). 


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Winiarz, Jerzy Edward
(1872-1928)
Painter working in Krakau Poland. 



Studied in the “Akademie für schöne Künste” in Krakau with Wojciech Weiss (1875-1950), member of “Jednoróg” (Unicorn) and exhibited in the Krakau society of "Friends of Fine Arts (TPSP)" and solo in Krakau 1924. Said to have drowned in Italy while rescuing a women. Just one entry (in Polish) was found in the Internet.  

All further information (the dates given could not verified) on these two artists would be very much appreciated and welcomed.
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All pictures borrowed freely from the Internet for friendly, educational and non commercial use only.     

Monday 11 January 2016

Hanns Kobinger: Austrian printmaker

Kobinger, Hanns
(Linz, 26-07-1892 – 25-01-1974 Gramastetten)

Austrian painter, etcher an printmaker.


A really charming woodblock flea-market find (!) by Wolfgang in Frankfurt lead me this weekend to this forgotten printmaker and painter. And even more interesting is the faded (or has some one tried to remove) dedication to its original owner: Hr. V.Admiral vom der Borne 1943. 

Schulterklappe eines Vizeadmirals (Truppendienst)Ärmelabzeichen der Jacke (Dienstanzug) eines Vizeadmirals (Truppendienst)Kurt (Gotthelf Kreuzwendedich) von dem Borne(*) (1885-1946 Russia) was the son of a Prussian general (1857-1933) with the same rather dramatic name. After a career in the navy and serving in WWI, going through the ranks he ended his career commanding the (after active service) artillerie schoolship SMS Kaiserin Augusta (build 1890 scrapped 1920 when von dem Borne retired from active service). Eventually in civil navy service he was promoted vice-admiral in september 1942 until his retirement in july 1944, was taken to Russia as a POW where he died, circumstances and place unknown.
(*) transl: Kurt God-help Cross-turn-thy von den Borne) 


SMS Kaiserin Augusta LOC det 4a04854.jpg

Hanns Kobinger was born as the third of three children and showed an early artistic talent during his school days, later attending the art-school of post impressionist Matthias May (1884-1923) who'd started an art school in Linz before moving to Munich in 1922 (and dying shortly after) and met regularly with other artists at the "Club Grille" leaded by Franz Kuhn (sorry, I have no idea who he was)




A severe accident in 1928 ended his career as an administrator he'd followed after finishing grammar school, but turned out to be the starting point of his artistic career. After spending several  years abroad (e.g. in Italy and Dalmatia) he moved to Grundlsee (Archkogel 53, Zlaim) with his second wife Eva Kirstein-Josupeit, where he lived until his death.




He was a member of the Linz artists Association (MEARZ) exhibiting 1926-1931 and after WWII in Austria and abroad: Stockholm,even Minneapolis and Minnesota in the USA. He was also a member of the Vienna Seccession. His works were rewarded with the "silver decoration of the republic Austria". Hans Kobinger is buried next to his wife on the cemetery in Grundlsee.




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