Sunday, 23 July 2017

Käthe Kuntze: Forgotten Dresden artist (part 7)

Some more Käthe and some puzzling: 


In 1910 Käthe drew her parents at Hamburg St. Pauli "Landungsbrücke" the floating passenger quais in tidal river Elbe in those days used by ocean steamers and today in use as a busy station connecting Hamburgs mainland with its network of waterway's. It is also an important tourist destination.



It can be (it will be) a co-incidence but in that same year 1910 Emil Nolde (1867-1965) stayed and worked here in Hamburg harbour at this same location (above). 



It can also be seen this is the location where the ferries came and left so Mrs. and Mr. Kuntze and Käthe probably were boarding one of these ferries for a trip along the river, visiting downstream Blankenese, the giant  imperial docks where Germany's (war)ships were build, it's warfs and ships moored to and from all over the globe and its warehouses. 


We see Kathe's parents and their dog probably boarding a ship named "There......." (see the gangway of probably one of the harbour ferries). 

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And then there's this lovely etching: "Strand-Idylle 1912" of a mother and three children and iconic beach chairs ("Strandkorben") my first impulse being: this might be Noordwijk on the Dutch North-sea coast. 



Noordwijk was Max Liebermann's summer retreat (the two drawings above).  He painted here every year between 1905-1913 and his many beach scenes and depictions of Noordwijks Lawn Tennisclub in etchings, drawings and oils are world famous. His friend, Berlin art dealer Paul Cassirer, owned a villa in Noordwijk overlooking the sea.  


The family believes Käthe's beach and dunes works were all created visiting the German North-sea or Ost-see coast. I ask readers to help identifying these locations.



The flag of Schleswick-Holstein (Blue-White-Red) the province north of Hamburg is faintly visible in some of her paintings while the Dutch flag is the opposite.


Schleswig-Holstein                                                Netherlands
But in Käthe's legacy is also this water color showing, unmistakable, a Dutch, Noordwijk (or nearby Katwijk) house and a local fisherman wearing wooden shoes suggesting she probably did visit the Dutch coast.

Käthe Kuntze: Noordwijk ?
Max Liebermann: Noordwijk.
Noordwijk: fishing village in the dunes 

All help identifying the locations of works in this posting + the possible name of the ship in Hamburg are much welcomed.


All pictures borrowed freely from the Internet (and with kind permission of the Kuntze family) for friendly, educational and non commercial use only.           

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