Jaxman or Jarman ?

 Elizabeth Jaxman or ? (....better suggestions)

Charming coloured ink portrait of a reading girl. I have no idea about the artist, Jaxman (what I read) as a family name is highly unlikely. Several other possibilities were tried but so far without result. 

Taken from the frame (it needs a nice fresh matt) scribbled on the back in pencil: 

tel que  ninove

Perhaps a clue leading to Ninove, a city (40.000 inh.) West of (French speaking) Brussels. The portrait was found in the South of the Netherlands, near Belgium. 

All suggestions leading to the identity of the artist are welcomed.

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UPDATE

Febr. 22 2024

The suggestion:

Elisabeth Jarman was welcomed.

So far it has not lead to a candidate for the artist this drawing. 

Lillsjönäsgårt

A stone's throw from Abrahamsberg metro station, we find a remnant of rural Bromma. Nestled in greenery, at the end of a lime tree avenue, is Lillsjönäs farm. A place with traces of the past.

The main building was built in 1834 by master shoemaker Magnus Sohlberg. Today the site is surrounded by dense 20th century buildings. In the 1830s, this was a rural environment at a reasonable distance from the city. There were opportunities for gardening, parties and fishing in nearby Lillsjön. The land was used for cultivation.

Lillsjönäs was a private summer resort until 1908. Then the property played an important role in the expansion of Bromma. By subdividing its own land, Lillsjönäs farm was one of the first to lay the foundations for a villa community. The last private owner, wholesaler P. Kindgren, started one of the country's earliest bus lines to increase the attractiveness of the area. The line ran between Lillsjönäs and Kungsbroplan.

In 1908 the City of Stockholm bought the farm buildings and the rest of the Lillsjönäs plots. An orphanage with an educational institution and a country school was established here. Boys were trained in 'agricultural and horticultural professions' and girls as 'domestic servants'. This educational and support activity was new and untested, and the one at Lillsjönäs was the first in the country. Since the 1940s until 2018, the building has housed various associations and a youth center.

The main building is well preserved and the style is typical of early 19th century ideals. It is a rare example of a summer resort from this period. During a renovation in the 1950s, much of the older furnishings were lost. However, the outdoor environment has been preserved as a rural oasis. Traces can be seen of the 19th century garden structure with a lime tree avenue, orchard and lilac bushes. A few tall deciduous trees stand next to the main building. Probably a remnant of an English park with winding paths, which was popular at the time.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

These two 1952c watercolour impressions, by an unknown artist visiting Lillsjönäsgårt  were recently discovered in a car boot: "the kitchen", with wood burning stove, and "ironing".

All information or suggestions concerning the artist are welcomed.

A mystery and mystic print......

Johanna Goerke-Cassirer (b. 1942) 

Contemporary Berlin painter and graphic artist 

It took me also some time to "see the image" of the jazz players in Kandinsky's abstract woodblock print. And I am convinced one day I will see the mystery in this "Misterien" (1978, edition 5/10) print by contemporary Berlin artist Johanna Goerke-Cassirer (b. 1942) (thank you Wolfgang identifying the signature).

I "see" (in a beautiful and very Kandinsky colour combination) a robed King, Maria and her cousin Elisabet and a crowd in an "Old Master" painting setting. Having acquired it I dropped the artist a letter (email to her website). To let her know the travels of her work, my happiness, admiration and content and of course also to inquire what has her inspiration creating her "Misterien".....  almost half a century ago. 

Speaking of Kandinsky: Gabrielle Münter did his portrait in a woodblock print in1906. It was re-issued by a German happy smokers club (Radford's) in 2001 in a limited to members edition appearing in eBay occasionally. Since the real thing is not meant for (us) mortal print collectors .......... I think I saw a copy washing up recently.  

Vincent, in his self-portrait as an unhappy pipe smoker, used the same yellow and red combination. 

 

Although there are more Jewish Cassiser families, the artist's maiden name, Cassirer, to me as an amateur biographer makes curious. Is there a connection to Paul and his cousin Bruno: Berlins (and Germany's) most influential art dealers, gallerists and publicists 1900-1930, a century ago ?  

Paul Cassirer exhibited van Gogh's work in Berlin and owned some 55 works by Van Gogh. Both men ended their own life with a bullet. All things are connected .... creating a new circle of historic events connected to today and my new print. 

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Artificial Intelligence and the fishing woman

Jacques (Karel Maximilian Jacob) Comte de Lalaing

(London 4/14-11-1858 - 10-10-1917 Brussels)

was a Belgian sculptor and aristocrate mainly known for his many (animal) sculptures in the public space of Belgium.

Lalaing's classic marble statue of a crouching young women ("Femme penchant", after the old-fashioned  French meaning of "heeling over") is kept in Doornik (Tournay) Musée des Beaux Arts. Its title was also found erroneously as "Fishing Women", obviously a clumsy and somewhat hilarious (not so AI)  translation of the French "Femme pêchant". Probably also induced because the artists depicted a fish at her feet. But that was done, I suggest, to emphasise she was kneeling at a stream and not idling in the lawn. 

Although women today play a pretty decent football match: to my knowledge there aren't many nude women involved in the fishing game........... But However: ......as `always:" I may be mistaken.

Anyway: inquisitive by nature, a book was discovered containing 108 early original anatomical photographical studies, created by Lalaing himself and once belonging to his estate. It is since 2014 kept in the collections of the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum and: its contents been made digitally available. To my surprise I found these pictures, obviously his own studies for the crouching nymph. 

I think the connection between the actual work Doornik (Tournay) and the pictures in Amsterdam has not been made before.  

For the inquisitive mind the next and 1000$ question would be: 

Who was the young women modelling for the artist?

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

 

Mystery dragon print

 

Are you curious who created this unique 1928 print and what it represents ?

Visit:

 Das Haus der Frau 

https://www.dashausderfrau.nl/schmitt-helene.html

The home of Germany's first generation of women artists pioneering with woodblock printmaking.

(And much, much more)

Hugo Gellert

Hugo Gellert (Budapest 1892 - 1985 New York)

American illustrator, and socialist activist.  

These 2 charming gouache paintings recently showed up and drew my attention: on first sight, they could be mistaken for woodblock prints (I wished they were). They are reminding of classic Greek vase paintings or French classic mythology book or poems illustrations.

They also resemble the "Clair-Obscure" technique prints by French painter and printmaker Felix Valloton. The 1898 photo of reclining Marie de Reignier ("nue allongée) was composed by French photographer Pierre Louys.  

"Collecting art without knowing (at least something) about the artist

is like collecting stamps without a catalogue". 

Some initial background research resulted in the following résumé: 

Gellert, Hugo (Hungarian: Gellért Hugó), born Hugó Grünbaum (Budapest 03-05-1892 - 09-12-1985 New York City)

Illustrator and muralist. In 1906, his Jewish family immigrated to the United States, arriving and settling in New York City and changed their surname from Grünbaum into Gellert. He was the oldest of 6 children. 

Studied at the Cooper Union and the National Academy of Design. He is known as a fervent socialist and member of the Communist Party of America. His nickname is the Honoré Daumier of the American left.

He married expressionist painter Livia Cinquegrana (Australia 1894 - 1988).

He was a contributing and cover designing artist to "the Masses" and was a founding editor of “the Liberator” and the “New Masses”. Gellert occupied a seminal position in organising the John Reed Club and the Artists' Union.

He is known to have created several covers for innovative American monthly magazine of socialist politics “the Masses” in 1916 and 1917 magazine which appeared between 1911 and 1917. The magazine was founded by Dutch immigrant Piet Vlag* .

https://lapetitemelancolie.net/tag/hugo-gellert/  for feather reading.

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* Vlag, Piet (Netherlands, ? - ? )

In 1905 Piet Vlag is said two have been “an eccentric Dutch socialist” and “an East Side Socialist and advocate of worker cooperatives who immigrated to America in 1905 and starting his career as manager and cook in basement restaurant of New York Rand School of Social Science (1906-1956), a school for workers and socialists which was associated with the Socialist Party. 

See: https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2022/06/socialism-greenwich-village-the-masses/ 

In 1911 he  is mentioned as founder and publisher of the magazine “the Masses”, a socialist, activist and critic magazine to enrich and educate the masses (working class people) “weather they liked it or not”. It is mentioned “he had knowledge of the Arts & Crafts movement and its school which were becoming popular in the Netherlands since 1890s”. The magazine became controversial, suspicious and banned because of its opposing taking part in WW-I . It’s first volume was published in Januari 1911.

Piet(er) Vlag’s identity is not yet established. In Dutch official sources most persons born 1850-1885 named Pieter Vlag seem to have been born in either a family in Ellewoutsdijk (prov. Zeeland) or in Oudenhoorn (prov. Zuid-Holland) . 

It is said he left the Magazine and New York disillusioned 18 months later (….. summer of 1912....) to Florida. However: no further traces of Piet (Pieter) Vlag could be found.   

Piet Vlag's portrait by an unknown artist Polpini (?) 
(probably appeared in one of the first volumes of the Masses)

All information concerning Piet Vlag would be much welcomed !

(All pictures borrowed freely from the Internet for academical and non commercial use).

Claude Loewer

 Claude Loewer

(La Chaux de Fonds 1917 - 2006 Montmollin Sw.) 

This abstract pastel water colour painting was offered as attributed to Claude Loewer and was acquired, inexpensively, simply because I liked it. Very much, and even maybe somewhat faded and without a proper signature or name attached. The attribution probably an educated guess by the seller. 

He was a Swiss painter who'd studied in Paris' academies in the 1930s and probably/possibly also under André Lhote (1885-1962). In 1940 he moved back to Switserland. He was heavily involved in the famous Raymond Picaud tapestry studios in Aubusson (dep. Creuse) executing his designs in wool. 

Some examples to illustrate his designs. 

Il Pordenone

Giovanni Antonio de Sacchis (1484 - 1539)

(also known as Il Pordenone

The name Il Pordenone comes from Latin Portus Naonis, meaning "port on the Noncello River" (North East Italy) where he created a famous fresco. 

 

A drawing of a climbing nude woman seen on the back was reattributed to this innovative sixteenth-century painter. Stylishly it is strongly reminding of the famous fresco’s (marriage of Amor and Psyche) in Rome’s Villa Farnesina by Rafael. 

The artist is described (wrongly) in Giorgio Vasari’s (1511-1574) book “Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects” as Giovanni Antonio Licino. Said to have studied in Venice and Rome (around 1515) and influenced strongly by Rafael and Michelangelo and is mainly known as fresco painter in many palaces and churches in Rome and many other places in Italy. 

Before moving in the 1530s to Venice—where he became a rival of Titian—Pordenone executed altarpieces for churches in his hometown and the surrounding area. Drawer in the style of red chalk drawings by (and mistaken for) his later colleague Giovanni Barbierri (aka Il Guercino) (1591-1666). 

The original drawing is kept in the Albertina Museum in Vienna, a copy by an unknown drawer after (but not as good) of the original, in Haarlem Tyler’s Museum in the Netherlands (below).  

The picture of the original igniting my curiosity was found recently as eBay offer and said to have been published as “Farbfoto-lithographie auf Papier” (30,5 x 21 cm) by Joseph Meder und distributed by Anton Schroll und Co. in Wien, in 1923. This century old (antique !) edition has an authentication blind stamp (“Trockenstempel”) below right. 

More recently however the original drawing is published as “Hochwertige Kunstdruck”  by Vienna Kunstverlag Reisser (sheet size 35 x 27 cm. (image 27,2 x 18 cm. 

The choice is all yours !

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The Reisser printing and publishing company was founded by the father of Vienna printmaker Issa Reisser (1895-1955) who is represented with a fine and special selection of her woodblock prints (including this lovely "Sous les toits de Paris") in the Home of German women printmakers:

Das Haus der Frau 

(www.dashausderfrau.nl)