Hélène Mass, an account of my investigations (I)

Hélène Mass (Maß)

born 1871 Posen (Poznan, Poland) - ?

German painter and printmaker

part I

This picture, of flowering chestnuts (blühende Kastaniën), which can be found in several locations (and in Modern Printmakers here*) for quite some time annoyed me, causing doubt, questions and controversy about who actually created it. It was contributed to Carl Thiemann, "closely resembling the style of Hélène Mass" and vice-versa. It is most certainly the same example used in all sites and in some examples remnants of printed lettering in the lower margin are still visible.

Somewhere, sometime, some-one has removed this information probably because it made no sense. A printmaker by the name of Hermann Maier just didn't exist. To this day, reading the signature of Hélène Maß, is troublesome and often is read as Helen Mayo or other variations, the double ss or ß in "Fraktur" (machinetype) or "Sütterlin" (written) old-Germanic scrypt difficult to read 100 years later and not only for non-Germans and Ebay sellers! It's why I happened to find mine (next posting). Compare how she treated the trees' shadows !

The editor of der Kunstwart/Kulturwart is also to blaim of course printing this phantasy name. And he did it again in 1919 and 1920 because there can hardly be any doubt these two Hildesheim prints are also by Hélène Maß. One of them even bares her monogram, the M over the H, in the block. Prints like these were probably created exclusively, maybe even commissioned by the Magazine which had 13.000 subscribers in its days of glory. 

This perticular magazine, meant to enhance the cultural education and knowledge of the German People, was in existence from 1887 to 1932. Ploughing through all volumes (explaining the pause in posting) took me days. Many contemporary artists of name and fame co-operated happily, probably also because of the advertising power of a good, widely read and spread magazine. Graphic Art in German translates Vervielfaltigende Kunst: multiplicable Art. The British equivalent: the Studio first published 1893. These magazines had a huge influence educating the people and cleverly creating " good taste" and an appetite in a new public and market in the Art Deco and Arts and Craft period.  

To make sensible decisions in the many offers (Ebay) it's evident some knowledge about the "Kunst-beilagen" of magazines like der Kunstwart, die Grafische Kunste (1879-1943), Jugend (1890's-1930) and PAN (1896-1900), and there were many more, will give you an advance in collecting prints when on a budget and safeguard you from disappointing acquisitions. Not every seller will tell you or, in the best case, may be just ignorant of what exactly he is selling and (asking/starting) prices vary immensely. From insanely overpriced to dead cheap. Recently I was able to add these Austrian parrots to my parrots on prints collection patiently awaiting an affordable offer from a realistic seller. Both are Kunstbeilage prints. Right Ludwig Jungnickel (1881-1965), left Angelo Jank (1868-1940) an iconic lithography by this animal painter 

But mind you, most of these "Beilage"-prints today are very sought after, highly collectable and printed from the original blocks or plates in the case of etchings. Like the multiple prints by Ludwig Jungnickel (blue parrots, roe-deer), Norbertine Bresslern Roth (1891-1978)(orange lobster), Walter Klemm (1883-1957) (cattle market, blue-tits below a.o.), Eugen Kirchner (1865-1938) (print above), the great painter Max Liebermann (1847-1935) and the founding father of Modern Printmaking Emil Orlik (1870-1932) himself.

 Walter Klemm in Japanese-Orlik mode, a free print in 1914 !

Many of these prints I cannot remember ever coming across in a hand-pulled or hand-signed edition. Later added (fake) signatures spoiling the value considerably. 

Since I've found so many more nice and hardly ever seen pictures related to Hélène Maß and her times, facts about her and her contemporaries, the great German post-impressionist painters and the glorious city of Berlin its schools and many fine artists, I intend presenting them in following series of postings around Hélène Maß. Sharing and warming from the result of some winter armchair travel and research. 

Read further here about Hélène Maß and her prints:

http://haji-b.blogspot.nl/2010/10/helene-mass.html

http://haji-b.blogspot.nl/2010/11/helene-mass-four-more-woodcuts.html

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

All comments and added information is warmly welcomed.

Eleonore Doelter meets Carl Thiemann

Eleonore Anna Philippine Doelter né Fötterle

(1855 Vienna – 1937 Graz)

Austrian painter and printmaker

Carl Thiemann’s many prints of Venetian sailing boats are well known, precious and iconic. Thiemann visited Venice and the lagoon, staying in Chioggia, the picturesque fishing port in the south of the lagoon. 

Chioggia fishing boats, left Doelter, right Thiemann

Numerous artists from all over the world created countless paintings (too many examples to show in this posting) of Venice, Chioggia and the characteristic fishing boats and gondolas either under sail in the lagoon or moored in the harbour. Here, printmakers, American Dana Bartlett (1882-1957) and Czech Frantisek Tavik Simon (1877-1942) made their sketches for their later printed lagoon impressions.

But today I’ld like to share some of the odd 40 examples I collected from the Internet over the years combined with some recently found bits and pieces concerning the life and career of forgotten Austrian printmaker Eleonore Doelter. 

Both prints by Eleonore Doelter

She obviously has been Thiemann’s student in Dachau, probably travelling with or meeting him in Italy, their Chioggia prints appearing in the same years. I discovered this information in some recent auction and gallery catalogues (see below) leading me further to some more Austrian and German biographical facts. 

Comparing some of the pupils trials, like these trees, with the masters prints (lower) the influence of Thiemann is very overwhelmingly obvious. 

above Doelter, lower Thiemann.

Eleonore married in 1876 Cornelio August Doelter (y Cisterich) (born 1850 in Arroyo Puerto Rico- died 1930 Vienna). His father August originated from Baden, emigrated and made his fortune marrying a sugar plantation and slave owner’s daughter in Puerto Rico in the West Indies and establishing a trading company. The father stayed in Puerto Rico sending his family home, first to Paris later to Germany. 

left Doelter, right Thiemann.

Young Cornelio studied mineralogy in Heidelberg and was appointed professor of mineralogy in Graz at the age of 27 the same year he married Eleonore Fötterle, daughter of Franz Fötterle an Austrian mining inspector and his wife Aloisia Radda. They Doelter family lived in a villa in a very posh neighbourhood in Graz near the wonderful Botanical Gardens and greenhouses.

Here Eleonore's eyewitness account was recorded of the 1899 Graz earthquake with her account from no.7 Schubertstrasse. 

It was said Eleonore followed her artistic ambitions only later in life, after their two children, a daughter (1880) and a son (1882), had grown up. She studied with painters like Alfred Zoff (1852-1927) in Graz and Adolph Hoelzel in Dachau (whom we've met in before postings) and then worked with and no doubt learned the technique from printmaker Carl Thiemann in Dachau.

All these men were of her own generation and age and she had been in Dachau from 1905 (well before Thiemann arrived) exhibiting her colour woodblock prints extensively for several years after. After living separated for a long time the marriage was dissolved in 1915 and the professor remarried in 1919.

Left print by Doelter, right painting by Zoff.

Alfred Zoff, the Graz painting professor, proved to be a very interesting character and painter. I think I will return to him one day. Destined to become a doctor, like his father, he changed his mind and destiny following instead the Landes Kunstschule in Graz and becoming one of Austria’s most loved painters. In 1895 Zoff and his wife rented a villa on the Ligurian Mediteranean coast, near Genua, he’d discovered on his visits and walks earlier. There he entertained and lead painting classes with friends and students. Eleonore most probably was one of them. 

Left Doelter, right Alfred Zoff painting in the Low countries.

Zoff visited and painted in Belgium and the Netherlands too, and I think Eleonore might have accompanied him there also.

I have no idea about the chronology of her prints, there's never a date and   most of her prints have the same somewhat simplistic approach to every day scenery, the coast, dwellings, boats and I even found two flower pieces among the 40 or so examples. And there's the consistency in the use of color. Much like her colleagues from Suisse Martha Cunz (1876-1961) and Austria Josephine Siccard-Redl (1878-1938)

This winter landscape however, might be the proof of what she eventually  was capable of creating with the medium: my favorite. If I only had known a year back what I know now I maybe even might have owned one.

See Modern Printmakers for more Venice fishing boats prints by various other artists visiting the Venice lagoon here*. 

With thanks: http://galerie-walfischgasse.com/  A visit to their 2012 catalogue is highly recommended.

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

Carl Friedrich Felber, a colleague from Dachau.

Carl Friedrich Felber

(1880 Wädenswil (Sw.) -1932 Dachau)

Swiss painter and etcher.

In last posting we met artist Carl Felber. He arrived in Dachau, to stay, with his wife in 1901 some years before Carl Thiemann and Carl Olof Petersen whom with I started this series of postings. Felber before studied in the Karlsruhe “Gewerbeschule” (Arts and Crafts) and also at the renowned Academie Julian in Paris before settling in Dachau and continuing under painter-teacher Alfred Hölzel (1853-1934) and his New-Dachau School of painting.

To begin with I found this etching of Notre Dame seen from from Quay de la Tournelle (see the following postings on one of my favourite Seine/Paris views in the Linosaurus here*) that I seem to have missed completely before.  

What drew my attention to Felber, researching Carl Thiemann in Dachau, was the fierce contrast between his oil paintings, mostly of his native Lake Zürich province he frequently returned to, often depicting the seasons and the moon-lit etchings he made of the Dachau moors stretching al the way to the Alps in the South. 

Bright and gay paintings of Swiss country side and lakes and the gloomy (hound of the Baskervilles-like) twilight aquatint etchings of the Dachau moors.

The “Moosschwaige”, an idyllic dwelling in the moors and situated along the Amper river under age-old poplars was locally nicknamed “Motiv no.1” (number one motif) explaining its appearance on numerous works of art. Painters, it was said, often queued up here with parasols, easels, paint and canvases.

One painting I found by Felber of the moors (above) with it’s birches and also a proof he too travelled, like Carl Thiemann, to the Adriatic coast and the Venice lagoon recognizing the characteristic sails of the local fishing boats in the village  of Chioggia situated just South of Venice in the etching below (right).

Besides a hoard of international artists visiting the Italian Mediteranian and Adriatic coast here we also meet Thiemann and his student, the late-flowering, very neglected and definitely one of my favorite printmakers Eleonore Doelter (1855-1937) from Graz (Sw.) with one of her Chioggia fishing boats prints. 

Her interesting life story and many of her woodblock prints will be told and shown in next posting.

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