Witold Kay-Korzeniewicz: another clue

Busy with research for next posting I discovered something that proves an old friend right but also wrong in stating "similarities: you can find them anywhere". Finding yes, but looking for and putting one and one together is something different.

There have been no further clues or facts about the charming "Grosvenor School" Tugboat painting or about Witold Kay-Korzeniewicz (1914-1990). The finding of the actual boat model was one thing but this ca. 1910 poster by Carl Kunst (1884-1912) could be the putting one and one together. Decide for yourself; coincidence or plan? 

I'll bet Witold knew his brand of favorite chocolate (Stollwerck) from his younger years in Poland. It is also very telling of the spreading of designs and ideas with the popularity of applied art in advertising, rapidly growing international traffic and "grand events" posters in the beginning of the 20th century. 

The element of movement so characteristic in Grosvenor School Art maybe was first invented and applied by early German Modern Printmakers like short lived Carl Kunst. There's Nicholson's Beggarstaff influence in Germany, Jugenstil and maybe even a hint at Hiroshige's Great Wave. But there's also a new way of depicting the speeds and movements not witnessed before in history. The introduction of automobile racing events between 1905-1910 is probably another such element.

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

Kouen Okamoto: Snake Bridge

Kouen Okamoto

1912-1945

Japanese short lived printmaker.

The three miniature (9 x 6 cm.) prints by Okamoto shown in this posting are all I could find. They are half-postcard size. They show the bridge, shrine and pagoda at the Nikko temple complex in the heart of Japan. It’s one of Japans holy places and a National Treasure. 

If you’ld like to own a little true gem at a small price: unsigned but original  copies lately are on Ebay regularly. I couldn't resist, it has all a good print should have, atmosphere, design, originality and great colors. I mean: that's one hell of  shower ! Just compare his print with the ones below. I suppose Okamota’s short life (32) explains his very small output. On the other hand, Schubert had been extremely prolific in his 32 years on the planet as was Mozart in his only 34. Probably printmakers mature more slowly.  

left: contemporary, right: anno 1910 

center: in winter.

The sacred Shinkyo bridge ("Snake bridge") is the gateway to the temples and shrines built by the Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa, founder of the clan which ruled Japan for three centuries, from the 17th to the 19th century.

 left: Yoshitoshi (Taiso) Tsukicha (1834-1892) right: N.N. 

center: Toyohara Chikanoba (1838-1912)

Most of the Japanese classic printmakers created a print showing the Shinkyo bridge or one of the other structures in the complex. But the red lacquered bridge is understandably the most popular. 

left: Gihachiro Okuyama (1907-1981)             right: Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950)

left: Kishio Koizumi (1893-1945),         right: Tokuriki Tomichiro (1902-2000)

left: Hasui Kawase (1883-1957),      right: Yoshida Hiroshi (1876-1950), right

left and right: Koitsu Tsuchia (1870-1949) 

left:  Ito Yuhan (1867-1942)         right:  Shiro Kasamatsu (1898-1991)

Hiroaki Takahashi (1871-1945)

This posting wasn't supposed to be a summing up of all(?) Shinkyo Bridge prints but the occasion arisen I thought it great fun seeing so many of them together. I love pictures of bridges spanning rivers and passing through great cities. In old photographs, prints and paintings. I'm a Brangwyn follower. Impressive and connecting, always interesting because of the perspective, people and trafic.

All pictures in this posting embiggen by mouseclick by the way. And you should visit the great site of Artelino learning more about Japanese prints.

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

Karl Schmoll von Eisenwerth

Karl Schmoll von Eisenwerth

1879 Vienna– 1948 Bad Gastein

Austrian-German Jugendstill, Arts and Crafts designer, painter, poster designer, ex-libris maker and graphic artist.

Karl Schmoll von Eisenwert was an influential Jugenstil artist and I wonder why so few examples of his art are to be discovered on the Internet. Even the Wikipedia entry is very basic. There are just a few examples, like this 1902 "Im Winde" that is as iconic for the München School of Art and Jugenstil as his Vienna colleague Max Kurzweil’s (1867-1916) 1904 “der Polster” (below) was for the Austrian counterpart the Seccesion and Wiener Werkstatt.  But luckily I’ve found some more examples of Schmoll’s work in books and old catalogues.

The son of an engineer, he visited Münchens Akademie für Bildende Künste in 1899-1901 and shortly after became a teacher for the graphic arts and was appointed professor in what became known as Arts and Crafts and Applied Art in Stuttgart in 1907. While in München he was accompanied by Martha Wenzel, Martha Kunz, Ernst Neumann (see before post).

I discovered Schmoll embrased early photography and made it to use with different technigues, like sketching aid and also in designing etchings, lithographs and woodblock prints. He is one of the few artists experimenting with algraphy, producing etchings using alluminium plates which gives the very “soft” appearance of his much of his work. 

Often the same designs can be found in paint, pastel, etching and woodblockprint.

His fame was made when this iconic painting "der Spaziergang" (the Walk) which also exists in print (and was on Ebay recently) was bought by a rich industrial in 1907 and donated to the newly build Kunsthalle. It is said to represent the three stages of life, youth, middle age and old age. But also a political statement and prophetic view on Germany, the lady in white representing the new Germany arising. It was made after a 1904 photograph of his aunt Maria leading the way, his wife Sophie in the white dress and brother Willy Reynier closing.

Above "am Brunnen" (at the Well) and I really would like to discover the color version of similar 1905 designs Waldritt (Forest ride) and das Weisse Kleid (The White Dress) prints. 

They all have, one more than the other, the bewildering birds-eye view perspective. Where the onlooker is placed "on a branch" looking both down and to the horizon. I think this “trick”, which makes it necessary to change the angle of view to fathom the complexity of the composition is of Japanese origin. It was lend by John Edgar Platt (1886-1967) using it reversely, looking up (left). 

The earliest and by far the strongest is possibly by knighted Sir Lawrence Adema-Tadema (1836-1912), British and Frisian. He was born not 20 miles from where I live in nearby Dronrijp (right) I am proud to say.

Views from the balcony of a theater, concert hall or circus are a more human  position and location for applying this view. Edgar Degas (1834-1917 knew. But the most spectacular, impossible and dramatic example I know is by Salvador Dali (1904-1989) using the viewpoint of the Father overlooking his creation and the misery put on his Son in St. John of the Cross, created in 1951.

Felix Valloton (1865-1925) probably was the earliest painter-printmaker to use it in “The red ball” and even overseas, in 1912, printmaker Mabel Royds (1874-1941) saw the possibilities placing herself among the (also chestnut) branches overlooking "the Court'.

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

Readers post: Eva Roemer & F. Tidemand-Johannesson

Last week two readers send me their prints for sharing after finding initial information about the artists in the Linosaurus. Besides the comments left by readers this is the reward for all the time and effort put in by the blog author. And it is the fuel for continuing.

First, reader Gary send me for sharing his 1953 Frithjof Tidemand-Johannesson (1916-1958) print. It was given to him as a reminder to his Norwegian fieldwork by his Institution. Tidemand succeeded in expressing the long and dark winter above the Polar circle with the simplest of means. The result is indeed the emotion of survival, bitter cold, darkness and endless horizons.

Reader Udo from Germany recently found this Eva Roemer (1889-1977) print, I think among her finest, in a local sale. Searching the Internet for information he found the postings in the Linosaurus (Links below). Through the Blog it has found a new and loving owner (not me, it's her friend that is my secret muse). 

You can use use the search funtion of the Blog or use these Links:

Eva Roemer (*) and later additions

F.Tidemand-Johannesson (*) and here(*) and here(*)

        

NOID 12: Tiger head

Found in an older German auction catalogue this wonderful 1916 tigerhead print. Who ever the artist may be, I think this is one fine print. The rendering of the fur and how well the unknown printmaker choose the, just two, color blocks is quite astonishing. Please help to identify this artist and wouldn't it be  great to find more of his work. He (or she?) certainly deserves it. It could be a Ernst (Erich?) Schmid (Armid?) 1916.

Altough not as fierce a beast it could easily compete with tiger prints by Ludwig Heinrich Jungnickel (1881-1965) and Norbertine Bresslern-Roth (1891-1978).

And John Dickinson Batten (1860-1932) in the Studio 1901. There are quite a few other tigers in lino and woodblock prints shown recently in befriended Blogs (see Bloglist). 

Contemporary German artist Jürgen Stieler created his tigerprint in 2010 with just one color block, an enviable achievement.

And what about Clara L. Yonge (who-ever she may have been) ? She was most probably an Australian printmaker active in the 1920's. I've showed some of the few examples of her prints before but not this print tiltled "Snarling Tiger" but is actually  a leopard.    

all pictures borrowed freely from the Internet for friendly and educational use.