Night Sky & Milky Way (part I)

Night Sky & Milky Way

After a successful swap of prints I promised fellow print collector and reader Kevin in Wisconsin (USA) to ask the help of readers of this Blog to identify his 1922 woodblock print of a night sky. If you have any idea: please send a message.  

There is a possible symbolic message (Christmas) because of the visible comet over the horizon. There's a small "G" monogrammed lower left. 

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This is also a fine opportunity sharing some more pictures of Night Sky and Milky Way prints. Here a random selection of my most favorite. 

Baikaleisnacht (Baikal Icy Night) 1923

Siberiën 1914-1919

"in Dankbare Deutscher Treue" 

Lily (from the great Japonisme Blog) send me this fine example, above, just a few days ago. It's by Viktor Böhm (1880-1954), a hardly known printmaker I've already shared with you in the Blog (here*). It was found in a recent auction catalogue. 

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Two classic examples by American printmakers Gustave Baumann (1881-1971) and William Selzer Rice (1873-1963) above.

Next: Lituanian/American artist Vija Celmins (b.1938-) who created several prints showing the heavens and Mila (Ludmilla) von Luttich (1872-1929) from Austria a decorative and Art Deco artist from Vienna.

Neil Welliver (1929-2005) and Robert Ayton (1915-1985). Ayton illustrated the 1961 Ladybird book "Night Sky". 

This haunting and desolate 1941 night sky print by Australian-German Ludwig Hirschfield Mack (1893-1965) from inside a prisoner of war camp, neatly closing the circle of this posting with Viktor Böhm's print from Siberia.

A great but outside Russia hardly known printmaker Anna Ostroumova-Lebedava (1871-1955) showing St. Petersburg and Orion obviously inspired by the many Japanese examples for instance by Kobayashi Kiyoshika (1847-1915) who created several star filled prints and will be awarded his own posting soon.

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Anatoliy Markusha a contemporary Russian illustrator and Emil Schuller (?) who worked for the "Jugend" Magazine around 1915. There are so many more fine examples there will be definitely be a Part II soon.

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

Visit my new project:

www.galeriesouris.nl

for vintage and rare prints from my collection 

Arie Zonneveld (I)

Arie Zonneveld
(1905-1941)

Dutch linoleum and woodcut printer

Spring is in the air !

Arie’s blossoming tree printings.

The opening print showing one of the first signs of spring in Low Land Countries. Coltsfoot often flowering as soon as in Februari, here underneath typical Dutch pollard willows scenery.

I think this must have been a popular print because the first one showing considarable wear of the block comparing it with the one on the left.

Last year, through the wonderful and excellent Blogs of Clive (Art and the Aesthete) and Lily (Japonisme) I revealed a cross section of Dutch Arie Zonneveld’s printed art to you. Comparisons were made with great and famous printers: Frances Hammel Gearhardt (1869-1959) and William Seltzer Rice (1873-1963). I think Gustave Baumann (1881-1971) and Pedro de Lemos (1882-1945) should be added to the list (see below for linking to these posts). Baumann the grand and true master of printing blossoming trees.

There was a shared amazement concerning quality and originality of this remarkable but unknown and mostly forgotten Dutch printer’s creative output.
Could Arie have had knowledge of the works of his fellow American printers? On the European continent many printers were working but not in a style closely resembling his. On his flowers, maybe (I will show those in following postings).

Carl Rotky

Gustave Baumann

Color printing (landscape)artists like Carl Thieman (1881-1966) Hans and Leo Frank (1884-1959), Carl Rotky (1891-1977) and Hélène Mass (1871-) coming to mind. The Austrian- Hungarian printers developing an altogether different style. I can’t think of any English or France examples. Artists like Oscar Droege (1898-1982) showing a completely different approach to printing landscapes.

both examples by Gustave Baumann.

Earlier I pointed to the books by Pedro de Lemos. In the Netherlands there were simply no printers mastering the art of color printing combining linocut and wood-key block printing that could have been taught or shown to him. Although he visited Italy Arie was not a widely travelled man.

I think he figured it out mainly by himself which makes his achievements in color printing all the more amazing. In his short life he has shown a wonderful eye to the beauty around him and an amazing sensitivity and skillful ability to capture the world around and pass it down to us. Even two, three generations later.

Visit:

http://lotusgreenfotos.blogspot.com/search?q=zonneveld
and
http://www.clivechristy.com/search?q=zonneveld

to catch up on the art of Arie ZOnneveld.

To be continued soon !

All examples by Arie Zonneveld unless otherwise stated.