Ernst Odefey II: some more ferries and steam along the Elbe and in Hamburg Harbor

Following in the footsteps of Ernst Odefey (from before posting) visiting Hamburg harbor in the days of steam as promised today some nice works related to the HADAG harbor ferry in his print. Following my stream of consciousness and curiosity I took the ferry to debark some kilometers downstream and meeting another interesting artist. 

Most connected and related to atmosphere of steam, river Elbe and Hamburg are of course the expressionist paintings by Emil Nolde (1867-1956). He was born in the nearby borderlands of Schleswick and Denmark. The border between Germany and Denmark shifting regularly. 

But many other artists were attracted to the bustling and "romantic" scenery of Hamburg harbor. Paul Kutscha (1872-1935) an impressionist painter trained in Munich and Paris, travelled to Australia for 4 years and, returned, stayed in Hamburg 1905-1910 painting the harbor often. He was intrigued by the tugboats and ferries. 

And Paul Paeschke (1875-1943), probably my favorite German etcher, visited and depicted in his etchings so many German cities. In Hamburg harbor (he was in the Alster area too) he also saw the steam ferries and tugboats. Here he stuffed his stage with ships instead of the crowds he usually depicts in the streets, squares, beaches and markets in his city views.  

But it was this painting (below) that lead me to the possible destination of the ferry and, after a short stay and visit, back to a very interesting address in the heart of Hamburg, leading ultimately back to printmaking. 

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

Dore Hoyer, 1949 woodcut, Holzschnitt by ?

Dore Hoyer

(Dresden 12th Dec. - 31th Dec. 1967 Berlin) 

German expressionist dancer. 

Reader Steven from in Sacramento, California USA asked me to help him with identifying the maker of this great 1949 German expressionist woodcut that he's found in a sale. My books and archive did not reveal the identity of this (probably) female printmaker. It's made very much in the style of those famous expressionist artists Emil Nolde, Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Karl Schmidt-Rotluff. A great and potentially historically important find. Digging in I learned about her fascinating person and her amazing world and the people in it: what a beautiful woman, what a tragical life !    

Above: Portait of Dore Hoyer by photographer Lenka von Koerber (1888-1958) who also wrote a book commemorating Kathe Kollwitz in 1957. 

Dora Hoyer in a double exposure by Dresden photographer by Edmund Kesting (1892-1970). Over the years he made several iconic portraits of Dore Hoyer.  

Photo removed 

Dore Hoyer began her dance and rhythmic training at Hellerau-Laxenburg School in Dresden in 1927. After passing the examination for dance teachers, she studied with Gret Palucca (Margaretha Paluka, 1902-1993) and in 1933 she presented her first solo concert. These dancers maybe considered the equivalent of Madonna in the roaring 20's; athletic, iconic and avant garde. 

Above: Gret Palucca by Franz Fiedler (1885-1956) one of my favorite photographers.  

She worked for a short time as a ballet mistress in Oldenburg, but returned to Dresden to become a member of Mary Wigman’s (1886-1973) dance group in 1935 after her lover Peter Cieslak had committed suicide: aged 21, what a waste ! 

Above: Mary Wigman by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938) this woodcut auction estimated 10.000-15.000$. 

Above dancer "Nelly" who really was Turkish Elli Secaidari (1899-1998) besides a great dancer in the Mary Wigman group later to become a famous photographer, who made fame with her nudes on the Acropolis in Athens.

  
Dore Hoyer took over the former Wigman School after World War II and formed her own dance group. The group gained notoriety, but Hoyer left to continue her solo work. 

In 1947 she and her dancers impersonated the graphic works of Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945) on stage. (Portrait and woodcut selfportait above) 

Portait etching of Dora Hoyer by Lea Grundig-Langer (1906-1977) 

From 1949 to 1951 Dore Hoyer served as director of the Hamburg State Opera Ballet, but had greater success abroad. She presented a number of solo performances in South American and in 1957 made her debut with the American Dance Festival at Connecticut College. 

"Tanz" (dance) by Carl Rotky (1891-1977)

1966 marked her last dance performance. She had no school––no income, and committed suicide in 1967.  While Hoyer is less known than many modern dance artists, some historians believe her work emerged from a period of stagnating dance and set in motion innovations that underlay American modern and postmodern dance.

Finnish Sara Jankelow-Rung (1891-1974) another performer-dancer from the Mary Wigman group spectacularly photographed by Franz Fiedler in 1926. 

All artists mentioned in this article in one way or another belonging in the artistic circles around Dore Hoyer so there must be enough clues to link this fine  woodcut portrait to the unidentified printmaker. 

Send in your suggestions for sharing please !

"Tanz" 1913, by Emil Nolde (1867-1956)

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

Siegward Sprotte: Emil Orliks last student ?

Siegward Sprotte

(Potsdam 1913 - 2004 Isle of Sylt)

German painter and printmaker. 

Landing on the Isle of Sylt in before posting with Charlotte Hilmer I encountered Siegward Sprotte who moved to the island in 1945 to stay, living and working until his death 10 years ago in 2004. In a German auction house archive I've discovered a woodblock print by him. Uncomplicated but effectively showing of the islands' features, the high dunes, created in 1952 and another copy with I think, a by hand and not by block, added blue in 1953.

Sprotte had been studying in Berlin from 1920 as a student of Karl Hagemeier (1848-1933) whom's master student he became in 1932. A year later his teacher died. But I learned he'd also attended classes with Emil Orlik (1870-1933) in 1932. Within the year he would lose that teacher as well. 

Orlik in his career had seen many, many hundreds of students and Sprotte must have been among his last. Sprotte all his life painted his island, gradually shifting to a more and more very personal, abstract and colorful style. 

In the early twentieth century Sylt attracted many artists and among them was Emil Nolde (1867-1956). He finished this famous and much discussed and praised painting "Badende" (bathers) on the island in 1930 when he was in his 60's. 

Nolde lived close-by on the mainland in the Schleswick-Holstein village of Seebüll on the Danish border in summer, painting the flowers in his garden and so did Sprotte.  In winter Nolde, a much celebrated artist, resided in Berlin. 

Garden flowers by Sprotte and by Nolde.

In the same area, North of Hamburg, is living and working one of my contemporary printmaking heroes: Klaus Fussmann (b.1938) who was born when the men above already were accomplished artists. Fussmann's extraordinary prints (landscape and also flowers, like Nolde and Sprotte) and his more recent paintings will feature in postings to come but here're are examples of both media that I've found related to the seas surrounding province Schleswick (Ostsee/Baltic) and the isle of Sylt (Nordsee/Northsea) and the artist's garden.  

       

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

Jørgen Luplau Janssen

Jørgen Luplau-Janssen 

( 1869-1927)

Danish impressionist painter, professor and unexpected printmaker.

(with his first first wife Marie Borup)

Ebay keeps astonishing me because of the regular washing up of unknown prints and sometimes unknown printmakers. Like these two prints.      

Jørgen Luplau Janssen was educated at the Royal academy of arts in 1885 and joined Peder Krøyer (1851-1909) in his painting school in 1891 for further training. In 1909 he went to Paris to study at the Académie Ranon. He became a well respected painter of landscape and portrait of which is Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard (1831-1855) the most celebrated. 

I presume the print is showing a (Danish ?) soldier or guard watching dreadnoughts of the German navy Hoch-see fleet on the horizon. 

I have no doubt Luplau-Janssen's endeavors at woodblock printing will have been inspired by his fellow Danish colleague Emil (Hansen) Nolde (1867-1956) who, initially trained as a traditional wood-engraver (xylograph) and after having studied and worked in Kopenhagen, Munich, St. Gallen and Paris (Academie Julian) returned to Kopenhagen in 1901 living in winter in Berlin. He even met and married his wife Ada Vilstrup (1879-1948) in Kopenhagen in 1902. Changing his name from Hansen in Nolde on the occasion.  In 1927 the painter printmaker returned to stay in the region where he was born. It was the year Luplau-Janssen died. Noldes' house and gardens, just on the German side of the Danish border are now a museum, his birthplace (the hamlet of Nolde) just on the other side.  

5 Dampfer (steamers) by Nolde 

In 1905 Lupla-Janssen was appointed professor at the Royal Academy in Kopenhagen where he taught in arts and model. Besides he was a keen amateur astronomer. His son Carl Luplau Janssen (1889-1971) the Danish astronomer.  

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