Martha Wenzel and her Munich friends.

Some 2 years ago, in my early blogging days, I showed you Martha Wenzel’s illustrious print I bought for my wife’s birthday because it was so reminding of our two granddaughters. It was edited in 1905 as an  “Original Beilage zur Zeitschrift für Bildende Kunst”. There never was another edition. 

All prints found signed are with fake signatures. What bothered me most since is I haven’t been able to find any more biographical information or more examples of  Martha Wenzel’s art. Untill, recently, reader Björn Peck from America send me an email with a print attached that he owns and a link to an article in “Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration 1905”. It's titled "vor dem Café"

Martha Wenzel (1856-1943), born in Prussia some 80 Km N.E. of Berlin, studied in Munich under Ernst Neumann (1871-1954). Neumann was just as pivotal and important a figure to Modern Printmaking as Orlik was in Vienna, Fletcher and Nicholson in London, Dow in New York and Lepère, Kandinsky, Valoton and Munch in Paris. Neumann studied in Paris before he was appointed in Munich Art School.

Ernst and his younger brother Hans were the sons of Emil Neumann (1842-1903) who was a painter and appointed professor in the town of Kassel. The Neumann family originating from what is now the Russian enclave Kaliningrad (former Königsburg) situated between Poland and the Baltic States.

Ernst Neumann later added Neumann-Neander to his family name and created fame as an early automobile and motor designer. He travelled Europe and later settled in Berlin leading a poster and advertising company. Like William Nicholson and James Pryde did, the renowned Beggarstaff company.

The Munich School of printmaking, according to the author in “Deutsche Kunst” the “Munchen Holzschnitt was characterized by “das zarte bindende Grau”. The tender binding (tying together) color gray. An all important clue to the Munich School of printmaking.

To quote  Clive's conclusion: “the Munich School matte finish”. As you can see  the gray (or gray-ish) appearance can also be achieved by printing a translucent color over the black and darker colors.

Here are some of Martha Wenzels Munich contemporaries in 1905 mentioned in the article.

Martha Cunz (1876-1961) from St. Gallen, Switzerland, who also studied in Kassel and Berlin. Her print "Abend" (over St.Gallen), believe it or not, was her first try at printmaking in 1901/02......

And of course Ernst’s brother Hans Neumann (1873-1957). Both artists were rather proliferous printmakers (Cunz created 71 known prints) and recently some never before seen prints  showed up. This picture of "Graziella" is shown in the article but  I haven't been able to find one in color. I wonder if it was inspirational later to Arthur Rigden Reads "Woman with a scarf prints". The earliest work of Hans Neumann (around 1905) is showing obvious ties leading from Munich to the inspirational leaders of the Secessionists in Vienna, Emil Orlik, Max Kurzweil and Koloman Moser.

But other artists were mentioned, some of them only by their family name and most of them only with examples in black and white pictures. So I had to do some research. Like A(lfred) Braun who no-one has heard of after but very unjustifiably so and one R(udolf) Treumann, who shares the same faith. These two prints proving however their shared background and skills. Later Carl Rotky (1891-1977) after graduating as a doctor went from Prag to Munich following his heart to study art and also created his "Lanes" in yellows and grays in the best of Munich printmaking tradition. 

There's even a line to contemporary Austrian printmaker August Trummer (1942) who has known Carl Rotky personally:

The author in Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration has chosen, with a reason, both full color page-sized examples by Carl Liner (1871-1946) that were  probably made exclusively for this magazine like Martha Wenzels "Spaziergang" was for Zeitschrift für Bildende Kunst. I’m sure his choice shows best his point: “das zarte bindende Grau”. 

Liner seems to have switched to painting alltogether after returning to Switzerland in 1902 but he must have picked up some serious Nicholson from Eugen Herzig’s London lessons seeing his portrait of a lady in woodcut print. According to the author, Eugen Herzig travelled to study with William Nicholson in London. As Emil Orlik did by the way. 

Liner, Herzig, Herzig and Nicholson

You may judge for yourself if you think Herzig picked up anything from this great man. There’s really nothing to be found on Eugen Herzig but there’s one Heinrich Herzig (1887-1964) from Rheineck (in St. Gallen !) studying painting in Munich in 1909 were he is living with his (not named) brother. Returning home he became a celebrated artist. Some time ago I’ve found this parrot print by Eugen Herzig. He must have been acquainted with the earliest (1908) of parrot prints by Martin Erich Philipp (1887-1974) in Dresden. A city Heinrich visited during his studies.

Next:

There's an artist mentioned with a romantic and monumental name: Karl Gustave Theodor Schmoll von Eisenwerth (1879-1948) whoms prints, and those of others,  are treated in the article and  that I'll discuss in next posting.

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

Ernst Nilsson, Uppsala printmaker.

Ernst Vilhelm Nilsson

(1892-1937)

Swedish painter and printmaker

Today as promised a hardly outside his hometown of Uppsala known printmaker. Reading the biographies of most modern printmakers one cannot miss seeing the lines, ties, and influences from the first pioneering (color) printmakers (Dow, Fletcher, Brangwyn & Urushibara, Phillips, Kandinsky, Munch, Orlik) in England, France, Germany and America around 1900 and their first and second generation of students, schools and followers to this day. The skills of most famous and successful printmakers can be traced back to this handful of important and pivotal figures.

Born in 1892, Ernst Nilsson could have been such a second generation  printmaker-artist, but very little Scandinavian printmakers are amongst them. I know of none. Like many of his Nordic colleagues Nilsson was a self-taught printmaker and I would like to know what inspired and attracted him to the medium. 

 Uppsala's Chateau Borowiak, now the village theatre, photo 1936

Son of a mason and policeman Nilsson started his career as a housepainter and later joined the Technical School in Uppsala to study what I think was the equivalent of “Arts and Crafts”. This must have been the place where the inspiration to become a printmaker originated. Almost all of his work shows his hometown: the Swedish University city and centre of Uppsala. He never travelled far from home and other then these biographical notes there’s nothing more to be revealed, Nilsson died aged 45.

What I like most is the enviable way he is able to create depth and perspective in his views almost without the use of color or keyblock, just the grays and sometimes a faint orange roof or yellow glowing window lantern. I think his style is imediately recognizable and quite unique and I wonder how he came to develop it. Frank Brangwyn's  (1867-1956) mastery of light and dark in his prints, etchings and drawings is stylishly closest of what I can come up with.

Public bathing facilities in Uppsala

I’ve found this monochrome picture of the celebration by Uppsala students of the Walpurgis-night. The rituals of coming of spring on the night of April 30^th exactly 6 months after Halloween. It’s from “Nordisk familjebok” first published in 1876, maybe it's a clue. The photo of 1960's celebrations is also taken in Uppsala.  Compare the student's traditional white hats in prints and photograph!

Many of Nilsson's prints show the jolly student life in his historic hometown and many of its historic buildings, the cathedral (dating back to the 13^th century) and castle (building started in 1549). Uppsala University was founded in 1477 and is among the worlds oldest and the oldest in Scandinavia. 

 Woodblock print, watercolor study and recent photograph (detail). 

This print (and contemporary picture) of nearby Old Uppsala (Gamla Uppsala) is showing the historic medieval church and 5^th century royal burial mounds. Now he is using shades of green instead of gray, some faint brown and one dark brown/orange accent. It is the exception and sadly the only colored example I was able to find.  

This next print is more than just a bathing nude watched by two dirty old men. It is both showing Nilsson knew his Old Masters and his very personal humoristic approach to printmaking. "Susanna and the elders" by Nilsson and Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)

Nothing much has changed over a century in Uppsala ! Painting by Nilsson and a contemporary view.

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