Inspiration and all seasons

Inspiration
&
Flow of consciousness 

Helene Mass (1871-1955) today is considered by most serious collectors and connoisseur the godmother of German color woodblock printmaking. She probably is. She was born in Schönlanke, Prussia (now Trzcianka in central Poland). Too little is known about her life and career, although over the years I was able to collect 38 examples of her prints from auctions, old catalogues, exhibition announcements etc. in my pictures archive. In the aftermath of WW-II Schönlanke, its church and with it its church books were destroyed by the invading Russian red-army. Hopefully more will come to light in the near future. In the region (Posen) lived several Mass families. I wonder if she was familiar with the work of Fritz Thaulow:      

Fritz Thaulow (1847-1906) was a Danish and German trained, Norwegian born painter and printmaker working in Paris, Belgium and the Netherlands. He travelled Europe and even visited the USA. He passed away staying in the well known artist "Hotel Spaander" in Volendam in the Netherlands. There's a wealth of information and plenty of examples of his work in the internet. But you only have to remember this: besides he was probably the finest painter of reflecting water surfaces he also was involved in the revival of aquatint etching at the turn of the century. Preceding modern woodblock printmaking. In all his work, water is the most important and charactaristic feature.

Thaulow's waters brings me too Franz Kupka (1871-1957) who only incidentally showed his fascination with water and it's reflections. I love his bathing Muse and his compositional explorations of the subject. 

  

Having arrived at the nude body: I recently found (stumbled over a passed auction lot) this wonderful and very surprising nude by my personal printmaking muse (teacher and painter !) Else von Schmiedeberg. Although her biography is, like Helene Mass, also very thin and not entirely clear I do know she taught at the same Berlin institution with Emil Orlik (1870-1932).    

I would very much like to get into friendly contact with the lucky 2017 German auction buyer !   

Emil Orlik

Not many woodblock printmakers were involved in the female nude as subject for their creativity let alone women printmakers, but illusive Dagmar Hooge (1870-1930) was and so was  Hedwig  Matthiessen (1878-around 1927/30).  

I think Else Schmiedeberg may have created her auto portrait looking up to the "visitor", painting in her flowering garden (in Leipzig or Berlin) in this oil painting which I recently was able to acquire add to my modest Schmiedeberg collection.    

Else painting in her wonderful red rose garden and the stairs leading up to it brings me back to where I started: Helene Mass but now with this wonderful "Red Ivy" house and garden.

  

Helene Mass

The detail in this last print leads from the lakes and cities and from fall to this summers beach in 1916 surprise print by Dutch painter, lithographer and wood-engraver Jan Visser (1879-1961).

"All things are connected" 

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

All pictures embiggen by mouse click.

E.S.: A peculiar woodblock print and some thoughts concerning ....

Before continuing with Paul Prött (before posting) a new puzzle. 

A rather unusual, strange and "desolate" composition: an otherwise empty (cleared ?) farmhouse kitchen with a (cold) fire, a kettle and a sleepy calico  cat. Where are the chairs and the table, things on the wall and ceiling, why isn't there a fire ? What is the printmaker trying to tell us ? The owners gone, dead perhaps ? A last glance before leaving ................ forever ? 

On closer inspection it was, I'm happy to say, a (German) woodblock print, after all. The colors are printed by blocks and not done by hand and brush. 

A rather unusual print but with a technically and artistically high level approach. Look at the detail of the light-fall through the windows on the wall and floor. It has been given a new matt some time ago (rusty nails) and, out of the frame, I had a peek under the matt to look for a signature. But there isn't. Why not ? A proof perhaps  ? 

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The calico cat reminds me of the one print, with a curious calico (or is it tabby) cat, I know by the hand of painter Lily Ehrenberg-Teufel wife of impressionist painter Paul Ehrenberg (1879-1949). She was born 27-05-1897 and probably murdered by the Nazis. Both were in the circles of writer Thomas Mann. 

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So E.S. is what's there is to go on: besides hunches, memory, and archive. Have I seen similar prints before ? Who did cats, who did "such" interiors, when was it made, does the paper give any clue, who could have been able to ?

Wisfhul thinking: Else Schmiedeberg(-Blume)? Not impossible, but wishful thinking it is. There are similarities in the paper and use of color (above, from another print). Maybe. I know of a dozen or so prints by my printmaking muze (she is !) but she either uses no monogram at all. Or ES, or an interlaced ESvB cut conspicuously into the block. On the other hand: 12 prints is not much to go on. 

Emma Schlangenhausen, did a cat, but don't think so (and I have no knowledge of her trying at color printmaking)

Else Staps (uses E.St.), not likely. 

Edmund Schaeffer (only known from monochrome prints), uses E.Sch

 Ernst Stiefendorfer (or Stiefenhofer ?) (uses E.Sti and hand colors his prints)

And then there are: Engelbert Schoner, Eberhard Schramm, Emil Schuller, Erich Sperling ?

So if readers might have any idea, educated or wild guess: I'm open for any creative or academic suggestion. Or maybe there's simply some one who happens to know this print.

Marie Rollé: under the influence ?

Rollé, Marie

(Bern 15-05-1865 - 1942)

Swiss painter and printmaker.

Marie Rollé: Bielersee

My ongoing research concerning pioneering German Women Printmakers also includes German speaking artists: Swiss, Austrian, Scandinavian: artists who possibly were trained and influenced by or in German Art Academies, Schools, by German teachers and private Institutions.

Marie Rollé: "Arve am Gletscher" 1927. This print is known as a supplement to the magazine of the "Grafische Kunst Gesellschaft für verfielfaltigende Kunst" in Vienna (Austria). Copies of this wonderful print offered (Ebay) may  or may not have have the supplement original text printed in the lower regions of the sheet.  It seems possible (likely) this was removed. The originality of the signature M. Rollé is also doubtful. 

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Hans Neumann (Munich 1873-1957) 2 color variations of the same print. 

I know of only one example, this print, by Marie Rollé. She studied in Bern with Paul Volmar (1832-1906) and in the Academie Julian in Paris but also with Bernhard Buttersack (1858-1925) in Munich. The print is regularly offered in Ebay but this one appeared  in a local sale recently. I'd missed it but received a reminder from a friendly reader. Although I am from "Europe's low-lands" and not particularly fond of mountain scenery I have to admit, unpacking   it is a really nice print, on heavy wove paper and it has an almost embossed "feel" and quality.   

Marie Rollé, Arve stone pine. 

Gos, Albert Henri (1852-1942)
(the same ?) Stone pine and Arve Gletcher  

Excavating the Internet I found Marie Rollé also painted the lone mountain pine. Her woodblock print however is more than just reminding of Hans Neumann's (1873-1957) print of a lone Alpine pine-tree (Swiss stone-pine) against a background of Swiss mountains. 

I assume (an educated guess) because of the complete absence of biographical and artist information on Marie Rollé that she learned printmaking from Neumann in Munich. The right time (around 1906/7), the right place and the similarities just cannot be ignored. See my posting on the Neumann brothers and their influence here*, or follow the labels below. Marie Rollé would have been one of many women artists/painters embracing this new craft. She was already in her 40's welcoming a new and popular means of marketing her skills and artistic talents as a free creating woman artist. 

Which brings me to some of Neumanns other not commonly seen prints and possible inspiration to other students and colleagues. His influence to southern originated artists possibly as far reaching as Emil Orliks was to the northern variety. After his switch from Munich to Berlin. 

Martha Wenzel (1859-1943) and Martha Cunz (1876-1961), both studied in Munich. They even seem to have added "Neumann-inspired" monograms to their prints. As did Marie Rollé. Martha Wenzels print was also published as a supplement. 

Else von Schmiedeberg-Blume (1876-1927(?), Berlin, blow left. Right: Hans Neumann.  

Marie Rollé is mentioned Dressler's Kunsthandbuch 1921: Fräulein (miss) living  in Bern (Sw.) Elfenstrasse nr.3. A member of the SfKV (Sweizerische freie Kunst Verein "Sezession".

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

Visit the recent and regular upload of collectable prints and other pre-owned art in my new gallery:

www.galerieondine.com 

   

Gertrud Fredrich, Berlin printmaker

Gertrud Fredrich

(Lissa-Posen 1874 - 1963 probably in Berlin)

German painter and printmaker

Gertrud Fredrich was trained in the Berlin Kunstschule and later was a student of the great Lovis Corinth (1857-1925) (left). She was a member of the Berlin Women Artist Association (Verein der Berliner Künstlerinnen) 1915-1963 and exhibited in Berlin all her life.

She's mainly known for her paintings, flower pieces (Corinth inspired also Else Schmiedeberg (1876-1927) with his love for painting flowers) and landscapes.

We know Fredrich tried at woodblock printing at least twice because this print, send by reader Karen, was found in America (see here*). It is probably showing the Ammersee in the south of Germany because the painting above by her is titled as such. Just one more print (left) I've found in a passed auction. Another contemporary painter printmaker with ties to Lovis Corinth and the VdBK was Eva Maria Marcus (1889-1970) treated and appearing earlier in this Blog.

Gertrud Friedrich is another example to show how little we know about the life of so many talented printmaking artists who were active in the 1900-1930's. Do not hesitate sending additions and possibly more examples of Gertrud Fredrich's art. 

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