Thursday, 14 July 2011

Frederika Sophia (Fré) Cohen



Fré (Frederika Sophia) Cohen
(1903-1943)
Dutch, Jewish and socialist graphic and typographic designer,
woodblock and ex-libris printer.


Forgetting this ploughing farmer by this important Dutch artist in last post I haste myself in correcting this omission. This ex-libris besides also has the Hebrew words from Proverbs of the Fathers (Avot 2:15): the day is long and the work vast.



Besides designing and printing ex-libris', 


Fré Cohen's work was also commisioned  by the City of Amsterdam and other Governemental Institutions. 


This "Giroboekje" (personal cheque book) a very typical and very familiar example of Dutch Art Deco. 


Her very delicate type fonts (named Freco) are considered typical Dutch Art Deco and to this today are still in use in artwork and is taught in art schools.


Saturday, 9 July 2011

NOID and Horse Ploughing


This small (16 x 11 cm) but very powerful German linocut ("linolschnitt") is a good occasion asking your help reading the signature (click for embiggen). Maybe a certain German reader will be obliged shedding his light. I think it is amazing how well the composition, the proportions and perspective, the atmosphere (sunset ?) and the backlight are all combined in this great little chiaroscuro print.


As a bonus, creating a thematical posting I throw in all prints of horse ploughing I could find and remember.  It will be by no means "complete". Please feel free sending me others. The email adress can be found above: contact. 


Ernest Hamlin Baker (US, 1889-1975), maybe not a real relief print but to good not  showing.

Hans Frank (Austria  1884-1948)
Verpilleux, Emille Antoine (France1888-1964)

Hans Frank (Austria 1884-1948)
Ethel Spowers (Great Brittain 1890-1947)

Robert B. Robinson (US, 1886-1952)

Claire Leighton (Great Brittain 1898-1989)
Claire Leighton (Great Brittain 1898-1989)

Ernest Watson (Great Brittain 1884-1969)
Ernest Watson (Great Brittain 1884-1969)

Max Sparer (Germany 1886-1968)
Carl Krebs (Germany  1898-1977)

Karl Krebs (Germany 1898-1977) ox ploughing


Mary Lancaster (Great Brittain 1864 -?)

Unknown (US)
 Carl Lohse (germany 1895-1965)
 Carl Lohse (germany 1895-1965)

Alberto Beltran (Mexico. 1923- )
Emil Nolde (germany)
Robert von Neumann (German-American 1888-1976)

Unknown artist
Sylvan Boxsius (Great Britain. 1878- ?) but without the horse.

Alan Lewis (Australia 1973-1957)

I will be ploughing and combing my beach coming week, so there's a little break in posting.  But much more nice printed matter is coming soon.

Monday, 4 July 2011

Margarete Gerhardt (continued) and Helène Mass

Lina Elisabeth Margarete Gerhardt
(Frankfurt a/d Oder 1873 Berlin 1958)
painter and wood/lincut printer 

After some detective work new information about Margarethe Gerhardt came to me from friendly contact Thomas in Berlin.



Margarethe was born Jan. 8th 1873 in Frankfurt an der Oder and was trained in Berlin at the Schule der Berliner Künstlerinnen (Berlin Women Art School and Institute esth. in 1869). One of her teachers was influential and important Dora Hitz (1856-1924) friend and colleague of Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945) one of Germanies most important artists.

Dora Hitz: Mädchen im Mohnfeld (Girl in field of poppies)
Margarethe traveled in Europe and received further training in Italy and in Paris. She was a member of many Berlin Art Institutions and was even appointed member of the board of the school where she was trained: in 1930, 1933 and 1936 probably until WW2 broke out. In addition to the earlier posting here are a painting (view on the Wannsee, probably around 1910-1920) and a picture from the van der Grinten Collection of a linocut print. The very nice oil painting is for sale at 400€. 

Margarethe (L.E.M.) Gerhardt, oil painting


Margarethe exhibited at the Grosser Berliner Kunstausstellung (Great Berlin Art Exhibition) with paintings and wood- and linocut prints in 1922, 1926, 1928 and 1933. After her death in 1958 an in memoriam exhibition was held in her honor in Berlin by her former School and Institute.

Helene Mass, oil painting
Among her fellow board members I found printer Helène Mass (1871-?) It is assumed she died during WW2. I found this nice oil painting (it's for sale on Ebay, modestly priced, might you consider to hang it) by her and in addition to the excellent postings and discussions by Charles (Modern Printmakers and Clive (Art and the aesthete: this Blog is sadly discontinued). Links to these Blog postings you'll find below. This is a good opportunity showing three new examples of her woodblock prints.

(from the van der Grinten collection)


Imagine listening to Beethoven's 6th symfony and looking at these merry musicians coming from the woods after the thunderstorm.


Another board member and colleague of Margarethe and Helène was Auguste Lind-Graf. The haystack in this nice print below is probably situated at the Ostsea, maybe the peninsula "kurische Nehrung".  I couldn’t find any biographical facts about her, but what nice colors.




http://gerrie-thefriendlyghost.blogspot.com/2011/04/margarethe-gerhardt.html 
http://haji-b.blogspot.com/2010/10/helene-mass.html
http://haji-b.blogspot.com/2010/11/helene-mass-four-more-woodcuts.html

Thursday, 30 June 2011

Surfinia's !

This posting was updated 17th march 2012 with new information 
At first glance this looks like a fantastic and inveracious bouquet. Daring colors, very bright and fresh like the day they were printed. It came in a great frame and the print only in need of window cleaning and a new mat. (Getting the wrinckels due to the old mat gluying, out of the very thin and old Japan paper is very costly and it really doesn't bother me too much considering it's almost a century old.) 
The framers label on the back: ”Max Schmidt Bau und Bilder Glase” (building and picture glass) Bunzlau Schl. Bunzlau, now Bolaslawiec in Poland, then capital of lower Silesia, Schlesiën, until 1919 a province of Prussia. Near Dresden. A busy town crowded with shops and craftsmen, but I couldn't identify Max' shop in the old postcards of Bunzlau shopping streets.


Opening the frame revealed written instructions for (and by ?) glaser and framemaker Max Schmidt about the color of the mat and choice of frame: “gold und blau”. And a name, probably of the owner/commissioner: Kuhlendahl. The headmaster of Bunzlau Königliche Waisenhaus und Schulanhalt (Royal orphanage and School Institition) in the 1920 was named Kuhlendahl.
Identifying the flowers was a bit of a puzzle too. Under the old matting lower left was written something in old German. Finding the species and variety of flowers made the reading easier: Surfinia. As it happens a very perticular brand of Petunia: Roze Veine. Only two(!) pictures among the thousands of Petunia’s I found are Surfinia Roze Veine. An old, forgotten but spectacular variety ?
But what is the most important, I still haven’t been able deciphering the signature. Nor do I remember ever having seen similar work and colors. I need the help of readers.

Tuesday, 28 June 2011

Problems with Blog commenting now fixed.

Some bug or switch blocked commenting on most Linosaurus postings in June. These problems, not receiving and not being able to leave comments on other Blogs but anonymously seem both to be fixed. Feel free to return to earlier posts and if you want leave a comment. This is also the easiest way of checking all is working properly again. 

Thank you Lily from Japonism  http://lotusgreenfotos.blogspot.com/ for sending me this picture of "My Home" magazine cover of november 1929, solving the mystery of these two free posters by Hall Thorpe.


Now the search is on for the magazine that (also?) gave these two away. And if there have been more such magazine presents.

See also earlier postings in this Blog on John Hall Thorpe and Ralph Mott. By using the Blog search.