Helene Ady: big cats in Berlin

Helene Ady

(born 1875-1880 - died after 1930 probably in Berlin)

Graphic artist, arts & crafts artist, goldsmith and painter  

As this blog is composed following my stream of consciousness the cats in before posting brought me to this very obscured and hardly known Berlin artist. She is only known (to me) by these two wonderful (1913) hand pulled lithographic prints of tigers and leopards. She may have seen them in nearby Berlin  Zoo (Tiergarten). These prints managed to remain united for over a century.   

Very little is known about Helene Ady. My research into her biography learned she lived at various addresses (1900-1930) in Berlin-Schöneberg, stayed unmarried and was known as "Zeichnerin" and "Malerin" (drawer and painter) and was mentioned in the correspondence of Ludwig Detmann.  Detmann participated in the Berlin Secession and acted as teacher at the VdBK's drawing school teaching also Helene Mass, Margarethe Hoenerbach, Emmy Meyer and Martha Unverhau. Unless there existed 2 Helene Ady's, at the same time, she is also mentioned working as a goldsmith and arts & crafts artist.

Looking at the Ludwig Jungnickels 1905 tigers print I think Helene may have been inspired by him: is it the same pair of tigers ?   

Any help finding more facts about her life and family history and knowledge about other works by Helene Ady are very welcomed..... (as are any offers of her work) ......

PS: As there were very few Ady family members found in the old Berlin address books and Ady is a much more common family name in Hungary, Helene Ady might be (distantly) related to Hungary's most important 19th century poet Endre Ady (1877-1919). 

Wolfgang Wagner: caged tiger

Wolfgang Wagner 

(Fürth 1884 - 1931 Munich) 

was a Munich academically trained illustrator, caricaturist  and printmaker, who had studied under Angelo Jank. Wagners work was mostly distributed in the popular magazines (weekly's) like the very popular "Fliegende Blätter". He is mentioned to have won a gold medal in the 1913 "Internationale Kunstausstellung" for his painting titled "Arbeiter". 

I accidentally stumbled over his tiger print, Googling, which lead to this small article.

It reminded me of Walter Arnold's (1909-1979) caged panther. Walter Arnold after WW-II served as professor in Leipzig "Hochschule für Graphik und Buchkunst".  The image is often used in relation to Rilke's famous poem.    

which lead me to this panther (1945)  by hardly known artist Jupp (Peter Josef) Breuer (1908-1991), trained in Dresden and Berlin and Weimar "Bauhaus" school and after WW-II worked als graphic artist in Cologne.

Besides some examples of Wagners' colour lithographic, mostly humorous attributions, I could find only Wagners "feeding the pigeons" woodblock print.

Please send other known examples of his printmaking for sharing.

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

Etelka Edvi-Illés Karády: Budapest flowers

Etelka Karády 

(Beodra 1877 - 1969 Budapest)

Hungarian painter and graphic artist 

Of course I'd never heard of Etelka Karády or, as she is also known: Etelka Edvi-Illés Alladárne ("the wife of") or with her signature "ösw. Edvi Illés Alardáne" (ösw. meaning widdow of) 

Aladár Edvi-Illés

(Pest 1870 - 1958 Budapest)

Hungarian painter and graphic artist

This wonderful aquatint etching was once framed at Amsterdam Kalverstraat gallery "Pieter Breughel". Following the signature it will have been created after 1958 finding its way to the Netherlands. I have no idea who was its first owner But like to think he, ehe or they fell in love finding it in the posh Amsterdam gallery as I did in a nearby junk-shop window. The choice and marriage between picture and frame was obviously very carefully discussed and decided, and the combination will have served someone a life-time no doubt enjoying its delicate colours and composition every day. 

Its delicacy reminds me of the flowers, presented as a fare-well by his visiting  for the last time friends that Manet painted on his deathbed.

I could not help associating Aladárs portrait with Catwaezle, the illustrious medieval sorceror placed in our times whoms adventures were broadcasted on TV in 1970. 

I suppose (last of) the previous owner(s) probably left this world recently, descendants or estate executioners with modern Ikea taste eventually called in the house-clearers to empty the house or apartment of the things "nobody wanted". On its way to the second hand shop the frame, with gold-foil lining was bashed and broken but the paper undamaged. After carefully repairing the frame, cleaning window and re-assembling the bouquet will now serve and again give joy and colour. Until a next generation of house clearers move in..... or some-one wants to trade or swap it.   

I found not many other examples of Etelka's work, but her husband, recognised as an important Hungarian artist, happened to be a fine landscape and cowpainter in the best tradition of the best golden age Dutch-Masters, but also a very good etcher (above) and drawer. Here are some of the best examples of his skills. Googling you'll find many others.  

                 

Il like this simple but very effective drawing of a tidal landscape very much. It is known Aladár travelled to Germany and the Netherlands (in 1905) and, comparing it with this photo of a very similar tidal creek taken a century later , I would not be surprised he even may have visited my province.  

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

Walter Schürmeyer: who ?

(It took me some time to "find out" but, thankfully, the little grey cells proved to be more or less functioning: retrieving and linking an "unlabelled" image from the brains- to the computers database sometimes can be very hard awaiting a revolutionary plug-in and cabled solution) 

Dr. Walter Schürmeyer

(Krefeld 04-10-1889 – 17-07-1976 Königswinter) 

German librarian, art historian and printmaker. 

was the son of Krefeld “Realgymnasium” professor Franz Schürmeyer and Anna Schorlemmer. Studied art history, philosophy and history in Heidelberg, Munich, Oxford, Berlin and Marburg. Started working 1913 as assistant at “Reiffmuseum” in Aken, earning his degree in 1914 at Marburg Academy. 

Being married to Jewish Kornelia Marens(b. 08-07-1890) the Nazi regime forced him to give up his position and functions in 1937. Later he became director of Frankfurt “Bibliothek für Kunst und Technik” (Library of Arts and Technology). President (1948-1951) and after WW-II refounded in 1948 the “Deutschen Gesellschaft für Dokumentation” (DGD) He was also a pioneer in photographic techniques for the duplication of library materials and the introduction of microfilms for storage and documentation in libraries. Vice president of the “Fachinformationsdienste für die Wissenschaft” (FID) (German scientifique informations services) 1954-1964. He had a visionairy look on the future use and function of co-operating and interconnected institutions, collections and libraries. 

I have no idea if Walter Schürmeyer was the artist of this cigar smoking gentleman wearing a house cap. The monogram obviously "does not fit" W.S. (although I cannot make out the initials, yet) is also  inspired by Orliks well-known monogram OE. 

His popular booklet “Holzschnitt und Linolschnitt” (first published in the 1930’s ?) saw its 9th edition in 1973 as an “introduction in its technique for artists and laymen”. At page 1 is this machine printed woodblock print portrait of this  bearded man very similar and obviously inspired by Emil Orliks woodblock portrait of his friend Bernard Pankok at work (it would be nice to know the original print, lady in long coat, hat and shawl, on the wall !)

Schürmeyer probably was a close friend (Krefeld class-mate ?) of Heinrich Campendonk (Krefeld 1889 – 1975 Amsterdam) because in 2003 a modernist painting (nude) by Campendonk “bought by previous owner Schürmeyer from the artist” was auctioned on behalf of his descendants. 

All help and suggestions are welcomed. 

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