Seagulls and the Woodblock (II)

Gulls and the woodblock (II)

3) The Provincetown printers

For the Provincetown printers, living in their colony so near the shore it would have been daily encounters with seabirds and they would have been a natural and not to be left out entourage in their marine pictures. The print by Tod Lindenmuth on the left in perticular seems very simple in execution. Three colours only. But it is also a wonderfull study of birdflight. And a study in light. The early morning backlight caught on the front of the wings is something only experienced after carefull observation.

Today, opening the Internet, thousands of still-pictures and as we request moving pictures as well are available on demand. Day and night. In those days (the 1910-1930's) photography was quite something else.

These birds in flight must have been very carefully studied and sketched before they were made part of this wonderfull composition. The rendering of the early morning light is also a study in itself. It's my favourite !

On the right is probably a woodcut and study for the "Gulls and Doreyfishermen" also by Tod Lindenmuth.

Donald Witherstine (1896-1961) Provincetown artist and printer, had a keen eye for the ever present gulls, their behaviour and flight. Gulls at Provincetown wharf: "Messenger of the sea". This very characteristic piece of Provincetown, the old wharf and the pier must have been inspiration for a thousand pieces of art.

Ferol (Katharine) Sibley Warthen (1890-1986)

Grace Martin Taylor (1903-1995)

Barbara Stoughton (1928- )

4) Robert Gillmor (1936- )

Robert Gillmor is perhaps one of the greatest living bird and nature linocutting printers who has reinvented the art of linocut reliefprinting after WW2 in England. The number of publications and books he illustrated is almost countless. Very talented and a great master, the book on his work, "Cutting Away, the linocuts of Robert Gillmor" (first edition 2006) was long out of print was but reprinted in 2009. I'll just show here the Gull prints and a remarkable observation with one other famous British artist that made a wonderfull print with seagulls.

"following the harrow"

There is no mentioning by Robert Gillmor that he knew the "other" and older print but I think his is a secret hommage to British printer Ethel Spowers (1890-1947).

Sea gulls and the woodblock (I)

Gulls and the woodblock (I)

In my recent posting I visited the coast and thus encountered many gull pictures. Living near the coast, and weekend-Islander, I am a longtime gull enthousiast and have a great fascination with these wild birds. I will show all wooddblock pictures I have collected over time. By artist that must have been evenly fascinated. The first is by contemporary woodblock artist Australian Tom Kristensen (b. 1962) a strong cleverly designed print and very much showing the strong and individual character of these majestic birds.

Bror Julius Nordfeldt (1906)

Besides the pictures of Gulls on woodblock-prints shown before in recent postings (Tidemand-Johannesson, Lindenmuth, Wyeth) I shall make a distinction in 4 groups. 1) The Japanese classical masters, 2) the Western Masters 1900-1940 artist (all born around 1875-1890) and 3) the "modernistic" Provincetown artists after roughly 1915, 4) Modern prints (as not shown before in recent posts) 

1) The Japanese Masters

Toshi Yoshida (1911-1995) Antarctic Gulls

Koson (1877-1945), Watanabe Seitei (1851-1918), Koson

Aoyama Masaharu (1893-1969)

2) The Western Masters

Hans Neumann (1873-1957)

I donot know why Hans Neumann changed his composition nor which of the two is the first edited.

Hans Frank (1884-1948)

Frances Gearhart (1869-1959)

Arthur Rigden Read (1879-1955) "Stormy seas" (priv.coll.)

Allen William Seaby (1867-1953)

Helène Grande-Tüpke (1876-1946)

E. Owen Jones (a completely obscured woodblock artist)

"Gulls and sailing boats"

Ludwig Hohlwein (1874-1939)

To be continued with 3) Provincetown artist seagull prints and 4) some modern prints.

Percy Bagnall

Percy Bagnall

(1884 - 1958)

New Zealand graphic artist.

Black Backed Gulls, 1919 ? (but signed '02 ?), colour lithograph, Auckland Art Gallery Toi 0 Tamaki , transferred from the Auckland Public Library in 1932.

Speaking of Seagulls: this 1919 dated lithographical print by this very obscured printmaker was in my pictures archive. Following Tod Lindenmuths seagulls examples this is a good moment to ask for help. Who was this printer ?
In the same style I found a print of a cormorant. The New Zealand "sources" not to open from this side of the world. The Links keep...... "oops... breaking".