Hanns Kobinger: Austrian printmaker

Kobinger, Hanns

(Linz, 26-07-1892 – 25-01-1974 Gramastetten)

Austrian painter, etcher an printmaker.

A really charming woodblock flea-market find (!) by Wolfgang in Frankfurt lead me this weekend to this forgotten printmaker and painter. And even more interesting is the faded (or has some one tried to remove) dedication to its original owner: Hr. V.Admiral vom der Borne 1943. 

Kurt (Gotthelf Kreuzwendedich) von dem Borne(*) (1885-1946 Russia) was the son of a Prussian general (1857-1933) with the same rather dramatic name. After a career in the navy and serving in WWI, going through the ranks he ended his career commanding the (after active service) artillerie schoolship SMS Kaiserin Augusta (build 1890 scrapped 1920 when von dem Borne retired from active service). Eventually in civil navy service he was promoted vice-admiral in september 1942 until his retirement in july 1944, was taken to Russia as a POW where he died, circumstances and place unknown.
(*) transl: Kurt God-help Cross-turn-thy von den Borne) 

Hanns Kobinger was born as the third of three children and showed an early artistic talent during his school days, later attending the art-school of post impressionist Matthias May (1884-1923) who'd started an art school in Linz before moving to Munich in 1922 (and dying shortly after) and met regularly with other artists at the "Club Grille" leaded by Franz Kuhn (sorry, I have no idea who he was). 

A severe accident in 1928 ended his career as an administrator he'd followed after finishing grammar school, but turned out to be the starting point of his artistic career. After spending several  years abroad (e.g. in Italy and Dalmatia) he moved to Grundlsee (Archkogel 53, Zlaim) with his second wife Eva Kirstein-Josupeit, where he lived until his death.

He was a member of the Linz artists Association (MEARZ) exhibiting 1926-1931 and after WWII in Austria and abroad: Stockholm,even Minneapolis and Minnesota in the USA. He was also a member of the Vienna Seccession. His works were rewarded with the "silver decoration of the republic Austria". Hans Kobinger is buried next to his wife on the cemetery in Grundlsee.

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

Two forgotten Austrian printmakers

Helene Ladstätter

(1892* - d. 1970 Vienna)
(* this year is not confirmed !)

and 

Valerie Praschniker 

(1894-1972 Vienna)

"Fruhlingswind nach dem Winterstille”  by Helene Ladstätter.

Yesterday faithful reader Tom from (still wintery) Boston send me one of his spring puzzles with a very appropriate title. "Spring wind after Winters Quietness". A very fine print from his collections by an "unknown" printmaker, leading to this posting about two today hardly remembered Austrian printmakers. Maybe it will lead to spring in Boston. 

A little determination however resulting in this interesting posting. At least I think it is, composing and writing two more short biographies from what is available on the Internet and from my files and archive of bits and pieces. Hopefully this will lead to more new facts and discoveries soon. Please, if you have found this posting send all new information to share.   

Two examples of the same print possibly(?) color variations/trials by the artist.   

 Ladstätter, Helene   ( - died Vienna 1970)

Austrian printmaker. Known by these three fine alpine woodblock prints sold/auctioned in recent years in the USA and England. She exhibited in 1939 together with printmakers William Giles (1872-1939),  Yoshijiro Urushibara (1888-1953), Engelbert Lap (1886-1970) a.o. at Colnaghi Art Gallery in Bondstreet London. This firm in the 1920-30’s had strong connections with the art business in the USA possibly explaining the prints surfacing in the USA. She was probably a member of the “Verein für Bildenden Künstlerinnen Östereichs” (VBKÖ) because her 1970 obituary is kept in its archives.

She could be related to

Ladstätter, Ida (1892-1970)* an artist mentioned also working in Vienna and who worked closely with sculptor, printmaker and goldsmith Elisabeth Turolt-Grohmann (1902-1966) who had been a student of Norbertine Bresllern-Roth (1891-1978) in Graz 1915-1918 and  with Valerie Praschniker (1894-1972) who - a co-incidence ?- created woodblock prints very similar in execution to the prints known by Helene Ladstätter. * She could well  be identical with Helene Ladstätter. The Sütterlin (old German handwriting script)  H and I could easily have been mixed up. But a mix up with  populair Austrian Ski slalom specialist Ida Ladstätter (b.1965) could be an even simpler explanation.  

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A fast update on yesterdays posting thanks to a comment left by reader Andreas: A 1924 "the Studio" article "two Austrian Engravers": Emma Bormann and Helene Ladstätter.

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"Late Autumn" by Valerie Praschniker (from "the Studio" 1927)

Praschniker, Valerie (Valeria)         (Celje, Slovenia 24-04-1894 – 28-10-1972 Vienna)

Austrian painter, woodblock printmaker and illustrator living and working in Vienna. Possibly the daughter of Louis Praschniker (1857-1938) a railway engineer and Valerie Caroline Korab von Mühlström (1860-1942). Then she would be sister to Camillo Alois Franz Praschniker (1884-1949) an archaeology professor in Vienna. She is known by two alpine woodblock prints similar in execution to those by Helene Ladstätter (d.1970).  

A

Above: Valerie Praschniker (from a thumbnail, sorry), below: Helene Ladstätter. 

And an Alpine impression by Engelbert Lap who exhibited in 1939 with Helene Ladstätter in London .

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

Helga Scholler, printmaker from Graz

Helga Scholler

(1938-2012)

Austrian painter and unexpected printmaker.

Over the years my main interest in printmaking has shifted focusing to German women printmakers born 1860-1900 and working in the first three decades of the XXth century but I could not resist this, obviously much younger but fine bouquet. The print (35 x 40 cm.) by an unknown printmaker was recently delivered, the postage, handling and sending costs exceeding the auction winning price by a factor 5. I fell for the soft use of colors and the “modernistic” and direct approach.  

And of course because of the puzzle that always lies ahead, figuring out who could have made it. And not in the least because of the prize, lack of buyers and interest made it cheap and affordable. 

Besides: I already knew this charming small (10 x 15 cm.) print with a similar monogram H.S. and although I have built quite a large archive concerning dead woodblock and linocut printmakers I had no idea or clue to this maker.
A possible candidate, also using the monogram H.S. was German printmaker Heinrich Schröder (1881-1942) but he obviously isn’t a likely nor serious candidate (below.) and his use of the Monogram hS is very consistent. 

The solution came unexpectedly: by opening the frame and removing the old mat covering the title and the signature: “Margariten und Dahlien”, and “H. Scholler”. 

Helga Scholler was born 1938 in Leoben near Graz in Austria and received between 1954 and 1956 painting instruction from Austrian painter Assuanta von Arbesser (1884-1971), studying 1956-1960 in the Graz Vocational School for Arts following a master class with Rudolph Szyszkowitz (1905-1976) and from 1960-1964 in the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna with Herbert Böckl (1894-1966) and Fransz Elsner (1898-1977).

Helga Scholler worked as a freelance artist in Graz, exhibiting extensively her paintings internationally and winning many prizes. Her works are collected and preserved in private collections and several museums in Austria including the famous Albertina Museum.

I have no idea who might have inspired Helga Scholler to try at woodblock printmaking but Graz was after all the domicile of pre-eminent Austrian printmaker Norbertine Bresslern-Roth (1891-1978). Until the Nazis took over she was working as an artist and professor in Graz only to take up her career after the war had ended.

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

www.galeriesouris.nl