Tuesday 19 February 2019

Susanne & the elders, Adam and Eve

These two prints have in common their square format and biblical theme, both are from my personal collection and still in need of proper identification.




Susanne and the Elders (German "Holzschnitt, Handdruck" 1922) was a very popular subject for the Old Masters: painters, drawers and engravers, numerous artists have chosen this theme. 

Ernst Nilson, Swedish printmaker: Susanna and the Elders.    


It is funny to see this same (....) woman  modelling and appearing in the Netherlands as well in France. Examples by very unknown Dutch printmakers Jacques Jeichenius Ottens and very famous French printmakers Felix Valloton. 

It is of course (also) a story about the female beauty, male lust, desire and seduction, of dirty old men playing dirty tricks. But behind this theme of a shy bathing woman and the collaborating and blackmailing old bastards is also one of the oldest legal principles: Testis unus testis nullus (one witness is no witness or "no one shall be put to death on the testimony of a single witness").  


(I read ? .Nolte or Holte, 1973, but here also I have my doubts)

And then there's this 1973 archaic (...) and quite "different" Adam and Eva probably linocut print by a still unknown (possibly) Dutch printmaker. Crude and bold in execution and delicate in expression. It would be nice to have a makers name with these prints because they are chosen to  appear in the Bathers and Nymphs Pavilion of the planned exhibition:

"Das Haus der Frau 1935"
(revisiting Leipzig 1914 BUGRA)
Farbholzschnitt: Kunst durch Deutsche Künstlerinnen
(Colour woodblock prints by German women artists) 
(1900-----1935)


Rembrandt's also very "different" Adam and Eve..


All help and suggestions are welcomed.

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

2 comments:

  1. I may be able to help with finding the artist in the first image - what you have as "d" is more likely "h" or "ch". Can you post a better image of the ENTIRE wording along the bottom? I think the actual title of the work is "Johannes" and if I am correct, the left side would be the words for the "type of work" it is, i.e. which medium. But it's hard to see, so a nice, clear and sharp pic of the entire lower part would be helpful. Do you know for sure this is a linocut print or anything else about the work? thanks.

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  2. It says:, Holzschnitt.... Handdruck...... "Suzanna"....... signature/name

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