Viktor Wolfgang Pirkhoff (I)

Viktor Wolfgang Pirkhoff

(3-12-1875 Prag - 11-9-1962 Brno)

Tjech painter, portraitist, printer.

A remarkable and wonderful thing happened. Miroslav, a distant relative of N.N. Pirkhoff (see posting of june 2010) found my blog. Or my Blog found him. This story a proof of the strength of the Internet connecting people.

Viktor Wolfgang Pirkoff born in Prag undoubtedly will have started his artistic training at the Prag Academy of Fine Arts (esth. 1799) but entered, probably somewhere in the mid 1890’s, the Académie Julian in Paris. This private Art school (famous painters and artists, like William Adolph Bouguereau (1825-1905), were invited to teach) was established in 1868 in the Quartier Latin preparing students for the exams of the Ecôle des Beaux Arts, the prestigious French State Art School.

Here the emphazis was on classic portrait and academic nude painting, like here in Bougereau's class room in the Academie Julian.

Viktor's self portraits show a self confident, well dresssed and aristocratic men.

Many foreign students followed courses and very modern, also allowing female students. I found some very interesting students attending classes: Arthur Wesley Dow (1857- 1922) was among them and Charles William Bartlett (1860-1940), both famous and influential printers later. And painters like Pierre Bonnard, André Derain, Childe Hassam (American Impressionist), Eduard Vuilllard, John Singer Sargent and Alphons Mucha. All very International.

We find Viktor W. Pirkhoff in his mid thirties a professor in Zurich (probably at the Zurich Kunstakadémie) from 1908-1910 and returning to Paris until the beginning of WWI (1914) then moving to Vienna, Austria.

The artist rooms (oil).

He was commissioned to portrait the Habsburg royal family,

1916: Otto von Habsburg (born 1912, died 2007) crown prince of Austria & Hongaria, son of the last Emperor Karl I

was acquainted with composer Franz Léhar (he made a cover for one his compositions according to this “thank you” photograph from the maestro and made a portrait of the last King of Egypt: Farouk I (born 1920, crowned 1936), probably when he visited Geneva in 1937.

Franz Léhar (l), Arch Duke Friedrich von Habsburg (r)

King Farouk of Egypt 1937

It is said that Pirkoff exhibited in many countries even in New York. This maybe explaining why the only 3 pictures I was able to find untill this day were related to auctions from America.

Although the Pirkhoffs lost their only child (a son) he seemed to do well as an artist in Austria. Until 1938 (he was then 63). As a jew he fled from Austria after “der Anschluss” (Austria joining the Nazis) and returned to his native country.

Next I shall tell you what happened to Viktor Pirkoff after 1945. His ordeal wasn't over yet. I am about to unveil a great collection of extraordinary fine woodblock prints never seen publicly for probably the last 70 years. Thanks to Miroslav who send me many pictures of this hidden treasure to share with you on my humble Blog. And whom I promised to do my best to give this artist the new attention he deserves.

Listen !

Laughing on the outside (crying on the inside)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_PTe6-lIxY

Dina Shore, Andy Russell (and Paul Weston's orchestra) and Nat King Cole recorded this song. All wonderfull and memorable interpretations of this long forgotten 1946 song. This is Aretha Franklin in about 1960. Now fighting cancer.

Just listen ! (and weep)

Bato Durgazhapov, beyond Claude Monet

Bato Dugarzhapov
(1966 -)
Russian impressionist painter.

After discovering and sharing Eduard Manet’s legacy and before returning to printed matters meet this Russian painter.

(Left: bouquet, a detail)

Site-links where you can visit Bato Dugarzhapov’s art are at the end of this posting. Selecting 16 out of the odd 300 I found on the Internet an impossible and unthankful task. Just ask me to “publish” 16 more.

Born in Chita in the far far East of Russia, north of China and north of Mongolia maybe explaining his “wide angle” vision and why so many of his compositions are painted against the light. For photographers, besides the most interesting, creative and challenging also the most difficult light to pursue and catch.

This selection a few my favorites. To get you interested in case, like me, you’ve never heard of him before. Now you have. 250+ to go.

(Paris, Seine bookstall and banks)

(Thaw)

Konstantin Korovin (1861-1934) is considered the Russian Claude Monet (1840-1926). He was a contemporary of Monet. A century later Bato Durgazhapov taking Impressionism beyond Monet and Korovin. His picking up Light with a brush from his soft pastel pallet is extraordinary. Some of his painting almost “go completely abstract” but squeezing the eyelids against the sun the scene eventually emerges from the canvas.

Comparing one can find examples of practically all stages of Monet’s artistic lifetime evolution. The same goes for Korovin . He must have studied both painters intensively. Korovin once was director of the Moskow Art School where Bato D. was a student a century later. His paintings are of course way out of my financial range but discovering him made me a richer man. Hopefully there will be a book in future. In my lifetime.

See the gull in the sky !!

(Paris, Seine at night)

Willow and pond

(Whisterias)


Visit:

http://eye-likey.blogspot.com/2010/10/bato-dugarzhapov.html

http://www.artrussia.ru/artists/artist_s.php?id=440&foa=f

Let me know what you think by leaving a comment.

Nancy Tips: the legacy of Eduard Manet

Nancy Tips

(Contemporary)

American impressionist painter of flowers

“Each of my paintings is an exploration of individual flowers or fruit and particular light. To me, the most natural way to carry out this exploration is using the alla prima method, which is characterized by bold brushwork and atmospheric effects.

The alla prima method encourages suggestion and improvisation; there is a liveliness and pleasure to the painting process that is reflected in the finished painting.”

I discovered this remarkable painter after discovering Stanley Bielen. Digging in and surfing the Internet, the world’s largest museum.
If a comparison has to be made with Eduard Manet’s Last Flowers (see the two before postings) the floral paintings of Nancy Tips I think come closest to that legacy.

Working with and/or having studied with Stanley Bielen (see before posting) in Philadelphia Art School Nancy Tips “never wanted to be anything other than a still life painter. Whatever expressivity my work has gained over the years is due to the fact that it is grounded in deceptively simple techniques that I first acquired in Philadelphia in 1987. Among the wonderful Philadelphia painters, a favorite of mine was then, and still is, Stanley Bielen.”

This is the text I found at Southern Vermont Arts Center where Tips and Bielen exhibited last year.
She has her own website: http://nancytips.com/. A visit is recommended.

I discovered and collected pictures of some 40 floral paintings by Nancy Tips. Choosing a selection for this posting was an impossible task. I could easily fill 4 postings with the same diversity and quality.

Let me know what you think by leaving a comment.

Stanley Bielen: Beyond Manet's Last Flowers

Stanley Bielen
(1957- )
American floral & still life painter

In gallery résumé’s Bielens’ flower paintings and still life are often compared with Manet’s last flower paintings. I just stumbled upon his art but was immediately and deeply in love with these colorful gems.

Bielen was born in Poland (1957) and trained in Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. The fact that he is a teacher/instructor now in Philadelphia and the places/museums where his pictures are collected sums up most of the information available. And the prices he won of course.

As Manet’s bouquets still are recognizable impressions of reality Bielen’s renderings are more abstracted. You just have to pinch your eyes a little more to see the flowers and vases emerging from the background in front of you.

Deceivingly simple as the pictures seem you’ll have to have a thorough knowledge of light and color (and paint !) to take flower still life painting beyond Manet’s final renderings. And talent of course. And an almost schizophrenic brain to transform vases and flowers in these compositions of splashes of paint and color and still create such recognizable forms and bouquets. For those interested: Googling Stanley Bielen will easily show more pictures and maybe (some) more biographic facts. The teacher I am the purpose of my posting is just to make you curious enough. I found some 40 different and choosing 9 from them is totally impossible because they are all incredibly beautiful. But I will gladly do a follow up on request.

These last two paintings might explain why Bielen (left) is compared to Manet (right) I think.

The comparison with Manet’s flowers is probably more appropriate to a pupil/colleague of Bielen in the Philadelphia School. Nancy Tips of whom I will show paintings in my next posting. (I think she is secretly Manet’s great-granddaughter).