Max Pollak: Vienna portraits.

Max Pollak

(Prag 1886-1970 San Francisco)

Austrian-American painter and etcher.

Palermo

I'm a great admirer of Max Pollak. To admire one does not have to actually own a work: I don't. But wouldn't I ? I'm always on the look out. His technique (aquatint, soft ground etching) to create atmosphere in his city views of New-York, San Francisco, Paris, Vienna etc.. with "simple" washes of gray or light purple coloring is quite unique.   

But it is the sparse and delicate use of just a few "Japanese" color accents, a detail used in all his city- and landscapes making him immediately recognizable. I wonder how he came to it: Emil Orlik's influence perhaps ? In America he's probably best known by his New-York Views, commissioned by Theodor Dreiser's for his limited edition "My City" in 1929. The Annex Gallery recently announced their newest in stock here* : many city views. I will show more of those later. Pollak had only arrived in New-York two years before. 

This etched portrait above was simply described as "a pianist". It took me some time on a rainy day, but I've figured it out. It is concert pianist and composer Alfred Grünfeldt (Prag 1852-1924), friend of Johannes Brahms and Johann Strauss sr. He was also the first pianist in history to make commercial recordings. He travelled all over Europe and the United States performing often with the Vienna Philharmonic.

Pollak and his wife Friedl emigrated to the US in 1927 being already established and successful in the 1920's in Vienna as a society (actors, writers, dancers, musicians and scientists) portrait artist. He'd been a student of the "great" William Unger (1837-1932) and Ferdinand Schmutzer (1870-1928).

Portrait of Arnold Rose (Rosenblum) (1863-1946) the legendary Wiener Philharmonie  conductor who'd led this orchestra for over 50 years. 

He married Justine, Gustav Mahler's sister, his brother marrying the other  one. Arnold Rose sat also for Ferdinand Schmutzer as did Gustav Mahler for Emil Orlik (below).   

Vienna was the home of three contemporary and successful aquatint etchers: Pollak, Luigi Kasimir (1881-1962) and Hans Figura (1898-1978). Both Kasimir and Figura (who had been Kasimir's student) travelled to New-York and it wouldn't surprise me if Pollak invited them to celebrate his succes, he had a solo exhibition in New York in 1928. Kasimir and Figura never tried at portraits by the way. (*)

 Brooklyn bridge by Luigi Kasimir and by Hans Figura,  

 and by Tavik Frantisek Simon 

(*) The fourth and probably most famous aquatint and portrait etcher from Czech descent of that period was Tavik Frantisek Simon (1877-1942) but he, after working in Paris 1905-1913, had returned to Prag in 1917. 

Kasimir, famous for his city-views had also been a William Unger student at Vienna Art Academy (as was printmaker Norbertine von Bresslern-Roth (1891-1978). 

Portrait of Emil (von) Sauer (1862-1942), he was knighted in 1917, a famous Vienna concert pianist and had been a student of Anton Rubinstein and Franz Lizst. 

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) Vienna neurologist and psychiater, portrait  by Max Pollak,

and portraits by Ferdinand Schmutzer, who was also a keen photographer using his negatives in his etchings work as I mentioned in before postings (follow the link below). 

This posting is what I was able to scratch together concerning Max Pollak's Vienna portrait etchings. Sadly a few are "hidden" and can not be digitally revealed (by me). 

After settling in America Pollak almost exclusively turned his attention to city views and landscapes. Before, he'd travelled through Europe and sketched extensively as he did later in South America when he lived in San Francisco. 

A young Yehudi Menuhin

Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999) also played with the Vienna Philharmonic in America, from 1926/27. 

Until his departure in 1927 together with Ferdinand Schmutzer and Emil Orlik these three etchers seem to have portrayed and etched many of  Austria's  celebrities, the rich and famous, of the 1920's. 

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Portraits of unidentified persons.
(Wouldn't it be great to identify them).

Portrait of M..?... Deutsch.
(See next posting for identifcation)

Portrait of "a man". Probably in his 70's in the mid 1920's.

I would like very much to identify these two persons above, any clues or help is welcomed. Also portraits that I've missed of course. My email in the link above.

a "Dutch Study"

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

Karel Tondl: a day at the river

Karel Tondl

(1893-1980)

Czech painter, printmaker, professor at Prag Art School.

Meeting all sorts of interesting artists along my stay in Paris and visits to Quai de la Tournelle it's now time for some serious and printmaking business. Woodcuts by an artist who was trained by important and influential artist and professor Max Svabinsky (1873-1962) in Prag and later also studied philosophy at the Sorbonne in Paris. 

Karel Tondl, fellow countryman and contemporary of the great Frantisek Tavik Simon (1899-1942) who lived and owned a studio in Paris, both painters and printmakers, in later life, like his teacher Svabinsky, was appointed professor in Prag. He created in 1930 this port folio with some of the most exquisite woodcut prints: A day by the river Seine, 6 views of Paris.

"Towards Pont Neuf", photograph found in an old book on Paris, notice the bateaux lavoir and see also the postcard photo below.

I perticularly like the prints were Tondl stages people in these compositions. Reading, walking (the dog), hanging over a railing  or fishing. Charles Augustin Lhermitte, (1881-1945) the contemporary photographer does that too as I showed in the before posting. 

In these last two (and the first two) Tondl is showing the characteristic bateaux lavoir, the city's many floating washing (and bathing) facilities which came into fashion in the mid 18th century were in use until around 1940. This posting will be followed by an article about this typical river bound industry, many of theses boats were immortalized by Charles Lhermitte (son of painter Leon Lhermitte (1844-1925) who was  greatly admired by Vincent van Gogh) and various other fine artists.     

Tondl exhibited world wide (see the print of New-York city below) and I can't resist showing a small selection here of his great artistic skills.

  
Besides his woodcut printmaking Karel Tondl is best known for his expressionist paintings of bathing women. In the style and colors of Matisse' bathers, lake side dancers and nudes. 
 See also my 3 other (I can now say very well read and popular) postings on the theme of bathing women and printmaking (here).

And last but not least included in this posting is a nice example of Tondl's Prag teacher Max Svabinsky who will have his own private posting in the Linosaurus soon. In this print there's also the hinting at Matisse. And do I detect a touch of Anders Zorn and maybe a dash of Paul Degas in the choice of moment ?

  


Tondl's Paris woodcut print pictures borrowed freely from: http://www.tfsimon.com/bubenec-cemetery-artists.htm. A highly intereting website I strongly recommend visiting.

Quai de la Tournelle (steam crane)

Intrigued by the subject in George Guinegauls’ sugar aquatint print, the steam powered unloading crane (grue déchargement a vapeur) in the far corner of Quai de la Tournelle, today an account of my quest and recent discoveries. Before continuing meeting many other artists on this famous spot in Paris. 

This photograph by early photographer Charles Augustin Lhermitte (1881-1945) shows similar steam cranes mounted on river barges.

  

Besides quay based and mobile unloading cranes these crane-boats were in use and available along the quays of Paris unloading the many Seine barges (bergers de la Seine) delivering supplies to Paris. 
Impressionist painter Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) painted such a boat downstream in Bercy:

Eugène Galien Lalloue (1854-1941) shows an identical crane-boat used on both sides of the river: on Quai de la Tournelle and opposite on Quai Henri IV.

Crane boats also were used building and repairing the quays and bridges themselves. Armand Guillaumin's (1841-1927) drawing left and Paul Signac (1863-1935) (right). 

And I perticularly like all the activity that is going on in Maximilien Luce’  (1858-1935) painting. 

Charles Augustin Lhermite was a frequent visitor of the quays. His pioneering photographs evidence his main interest lay in the activities of people, cranes, and horse drawn carriages. And in composition rather than in just shooting buildings and pretty views. These photographic  compositions are created very much in the way of a trained painter. 

He shows a third way using a static crane-unit on Quai de la Tournelle with a steam powered winch from the deck of a barge.

Etcher Anton Schutz (1894-1955) also active in London, New York and his native Germany  was in Paris when steam cranes were used in 1928 when the old Pont de la Tournelle was being rebuild. 

And René-Jacques Giton (1908-2003) shows the new Tournelle bridge in 1935 with an unloading   crane in action.

Eugene  Charvot (1847-1924) is showing a mobile crane on Quai de la Tournelle. In one of his typical round etchings. He also made this fine drawing from the opposite bank,  Quai Henri IV on Île Saint Louis, overlooking river Seine and the Pont de l'Archevêché.

Carles Pinet (1867-1932) is best remembered for his etchings used in a series of famous Paris postcards. He is showing the crane in these both. The right one in detail even. 

American impressionist Frank Myers Boggs (1855-1926) also met the crane on Quai de la Tournelle (left and right). 

and with Manzano Pissaro (1871-1961) (below), son of impressionist painter Camille Pissaro (1830-1903), he was also busy and working on the other, opposite bank at  Quai Henri IV. This crane a bigger species. 

Lucien Gautier (1850-1925) saw the crane at work too on Quai de la Tournelle in a not very well balanced composition (but he was a better etcher) (left) and Gustave Madelein (1867-1944) just makes visible the crane's hook, but did a fine job on the cathedral in a few simple brush strokes (right).

Speaking of simple brush strokes: what about relatively unknown and short lived Paul Thomas (1868-1910) and his stunning rendering of Notre Dame's "abside" seen from the packed and stacked quay? (click to embiggen)

Very much after Frantisek Tavik Simon (1877-1942), who lived and worked in Paris around the same time French artist Manuel Robbe (1872-1936) choose the little crane to feature in these 2 aquatint prints. The second probably seen during the floods of 1910/1911. Robbe also used the alias of Alphons Lafitte and  we'll meet this prolific artist later in a sceduled posting. 

PS: This posting is not supposed to be a complete list of all works of art showing a steam crane on Quai de la Tournelle in Paris. If you think I've missed one I would be very pleased if you'ld let me know and preferably send it to me.