Mattiessen, Hedwig G.

Matthiesen, Hedwig G. 

(Rostock 12-10-1878 – after 1921 possibly in Berlin)

Painter and printmaker.   

Daughter of professor of physiology and zoology in Rostock University Ludwig G. Matthiessen (Fissau near Eutin 22-09-1830 – 1906 Rostock) and Paulina Augusta Emilie Meyer (Kiel 12-02-1841 - ?).  

The couple had 9 children of which Hedwig was the before last and of which 5 died before reaching full adulthood.  Hedwig worked and lived in Berlin. She was a member of the VdBK ("Verein der Berliner Künstlerinnen") in Berlin 1912-1916. I wonder where she studied. 

Dressler’s Kunsthandbuch 1921 mentions :  living Berlin W.50 Charlottenburg, Augsburgstrasse 23 (Grth).

This is the meager biography of Hedwig in my German Women Printmakers Index, there’s simpley nothing more to rely on in the Internet. And there are just these two prints, a woodblock print (can one deny ?) with such strong resemblances to Eva Maria Marcus’ (1889-1970) blossoming fruit trees print proof of her artistic existence:

And secondly there's this lithographic print by her hand which is very reminding of similar summer garden compositions by printmaker Helene Mass (b. 1871 - ?) who actually taught “Farbholzschnitt” in the VdBK’s school of drawing in Berlin most probably herself a student of Emil Orlik (1870-1932).   

and by Helene Isenbart (1864- in or after 1927) this last example: nr. 1 on my wish list. There's no doubt these women artists living in Berlin met or at least had knowledge of their artistic sisters creative output and ideas.    

Please help and send pictures and information of other works by or biographical details of Hedwig Matthiessen.  

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These two new finds were  added to this article (31-10-2015) 

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

Latest: Elizabeth Gowanlock Molyneaux

Elizabeth Gowanlock Molyneaux

In his comment on my last post Charles wrote of his surprise of finding american printmaker William Seltzer Rice in Scotland an referred to the visit Norma Bassett Hall and her husband the etcher Arthur William Hall to Scotland in june 1925. Of Norma it is known she took private (printing) lessons from Mabel (Lumsden) Royd (also married to an etcher) who taught at the Edinburgh School of Art and that she visited the Isle of Skye where she made this print of a cottage (like Rice did at Melrose).

Going through my pictures archive I found this (American) print by Hall's hand with a very similar use of yellow (ocher) and strong perspective much like in Molyneaux' mill print.  

Of Elisabeth Molyneaux is known she loved and frequented the Isle of Arran, also a favored spot of that other scottish printmaking enigma (and muze of some of us, even represented by her own Society once) Helen Stevenson and where she created some of her finest work.

Read more and all about Scottish prints and printmakers like William Giles, Mabel Royds, Helen Stevenson and Arabella Rankin often seeking the remote and desolate corners of Scotland, the Isles of Arran, Skye and Hebrides, their times and lives at Charles' Modern Printmakers Blog and using the search function.

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

Trouvé: Elisabeth Gowanlock Molyneaux

Elizabeth Gowanlock Molyneaux 

(1887 - 1969)

Scottish painter and printmaker

Thank you Charles for your encyclopedic knowledge on British printmakers and fast help. Not B. G. but Elisabeth Gowanlock. And along Charles send from his collection this other example of Elisabeth's printmaking artwork for sharing: Melrose Abbey, south of Edinburgh, Scotland. 

Elisabeth was a prolific watercolor artist who painted landscapes of Scotland, France and Italy. One of her favored locals was the Isle of Arran off the Scottish coast. Her work was exhibited at the Glasgow Institute of Fine Art, Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Water-colours and the Paris Salon.

She is listed in The Dictionary of Scottish Painters, 1600-1960 by Harris and Halsby, A Dictionary of Contemporary British Artists, 1929 by Dolman and the Dictionary of Women Artists by Petteys.

And here's what I was able to scratch from the Internet this morning: 

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And reader/fellow-blogger Darrel C. Karl who also went through his archive and collection trying to find more about which Mill exactly Elisabeth chose to depict. Here's the picture he's send of Frank Brangwyn's original sketch of a "Dutch Pumping Mill" published in the book "Windmills" by Hayter Preston and Brangwyn.

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And then there's this "Melrose cottage" by American printmaker William Seltzer Rice (1873-19673) who obviously visited Scotland but so far I was unable to find an account of his trip. But I did found a mentioning of another Scottish print: "Zinnias and Aberfoyle - Scotland",  a picture of it also stays in the dark. Aberfoyle is located just North of Glasgow. 

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

B. G. Molyneaux, British printmaker

Reader Tom send me this nice Plodding Miller and Windmill woodblock for confirmation and identification of the printmaker. I was positive I'd seen it before, some time ago, but it took me nevertheless some time puzzling and understanding and reading the signature, go through my archive and find the maker: B.G. Molyneaux (not Molyneux, and yes, I know, when you see it it's easy peasy ........) 

And that's about all I was able to find. In spite of the french connotation it is a British family name since Anglo Saxon times. Molyneaux is the Irish variety or branch and both spellings of course referring to the profession of ancient ancestors in France: Moulin-le Meunier: Mill-the Miller. The name Bernard seems to circulate in the Irish branch and I wonder if this was a one-off by this obscure artist. Maybe a certain British expert can help ? Another copy of this print was sold last year on Ebay. 

And then I happened to remember this print (Dutch, possibly Belgian), no color and because of that maybe not as attractive and appealing, but two artists obviously sharing the same idea around the same time ? Monogrammed J.H. (or J.N.) 

PS: This type of mill was active in England, Belgium and the Netherlands according to Frank Brangwyn's (1867-1956) extensive lithographic treating of this subject. 

All information and help on these prints will be shared and received in gratitude. 

Peter, Erna and Lars.

Thank to friendly reader and art dealer Peter I recently was invited to add this butterfly (moth) print to my Women Printmakers collection. It has been some 4 years that I've stumbled over printmaker Erna Fenkohl-Herzer (1882-1975), did some research and shared the results in this Blog (here*).

(Red Underwing, Rotes Ordenband, Catocala nupta) 

Peter Weidlich has an Art Gallery in Glücksburg, near Flensburg on the Danish border, north of Hamburg with a fine and varied (on-line) collection of prints and paintings at reasonable and affordable prices (find his offers here* in German Ebay). 

Swallowtail (Papillo machaon) Linocut print by Lars von Arb and photograph. 

Around the same time the small (14 x 14 cm.)  delicate print, with probably low edition numbers (this one was numbered 6 under the mat) arrived I happened to stumble over these contemporary linocut prints which, Googling, appeared to be created by Suisse artist Lars von Arb (b.1964). This is a good opportunity sharing these today since I like them a lot they and might be an inspiration to other artists and practitioners of the black arts.  

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)

Six spotted burnet (Zygaene filipendulae) 

Nemo !

(Amphiprion occularis, clown fish, anemone fish)

Familiar and recognizable subjects, bright modern colors and modern designs straight from nature, printed in limited editions of only 10 copies ........... This last one my favorite !  

Danke vielmals Erna, Lars und Peter: alles Bestens.

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

Help !

Reader Justin emailed me from "Down Under" asking me to share this print and ask readers to help identify the maker of this linoleum or woodcut print. He believes it to be Hungarian, considering the previous owners originally came from Hongary and having had the print for a long time. But as everything other then it's original inhabitants is imported in Australia all possibilities are left open. 

A great composition and a lovely combination of colors !

All suggestions are most welcomed !

Harold Frank Collinson: in Normandy !

Harold Frank Collinson

(Nottingham 1886 - 1955 New York USA) 

British etcher, printmaker and teacher.  

Harold Frank Collinson I've met before in Charles' Modern Printmakers Blog where he wrote enthusiastically about this wonderful woodblock print: Haying in the Vale of Trent. 

And although Charles seems to show another (?) copy with greenish skies (or has the first one been through Photoshop's laundry ?) 

to try and capture poring rain is on the one hand very Japanese ("Shono Haku-U", Driving rain at Shono) by Hiroshige (1795-1958) but .........

there's also the possibility Collinson was a British artist following John Constable (1776-1837) and William Turner (1775-1851) immensely enjoying  to master and capture typical British foul weather.  
  

You can read most of what is known about Collinson at Charles' Blog, but it wasn't mentioned he'd left his native Nottingham for America in 1940 and lived there until his death in New York in 1955. Collinson is mainly known as an etcher (and a teacher) but thanks to reader Tom here's another woodblock print by him. It came to me without a title. It took me some time but in the end I was able to figure out where it is and what it Collinson is showing us.

It is a view on a bend in river Seine, the ruins of Chateau Gaillard situated on  the steep hill (much like his native Nottingham Castle), the village of les Andelys below and counterbalancing the deep blues of the village and Eglise Saint Sauveur in the shadows in the lower right corner a heavy shower is placed in the upper left corner. Probably created in the 1920-30's ? 

What brought Collinson to Normandy and les Andelys ? 

Maybe he was on holiday or on his way to Paris, following the path and footsteps of perhaps the greatest of all British drawers and painters: William Turner (1775-1851) who also made the climb up the steep hill. 

Turners painting was turned into an etching by master engraver and keeper of the Prints Department of the British Museum in London John Thomas Smith (1766 - 1833). As an etcher Collinson could have been familiar with that print too. On the other hand: Collinson and Turner just happened to have both witnessed a heavy rain shower on the horizon when visiting les Andelys and chateau Gaillard.      

Collinson could also have been on his way to nearby Giverny, on a pilgrimage to Claude Monet's (1840-1926) gardens, just a few miles up-stream. I couldn't find a painting by Monet of  les Andelys but Australian impressionist Emanuel Phillips Fox (1865-1915) was definitely here painting the view from the same hill in wonderful bright pastel colors. 

And Paul Signac (1863-1935) lived and worked in Andelys in 1886 drawing and painting the picturesque village and river Seine slowly flowing to the West. It was here where his fame as a  painter was made.  

Henri Lebasque (1865-1937) a post-impressionist painter also painted from  the same spot where Turner stood before and Collison after him.  

There is mentioning of a woodblock print of Chateau Gaillard by British printmaker Phillip Needell (1886-1974) but I failed finding an example. Maybe there's more to come, maybe they knew each other. But then, I'm not a n expert on British prints or printmakers.      

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Within the hour, after just  9 readers so far, thanks to a commenting reader the (a) Phillip  Needell print showing Chateau Gaillard was delivered to me. Here it is:

(les Petit Andelys and Gaillard Castle ruins seen from the banks of River Seine). 

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UPDATE 
Two years later (december 2017) reader Tom from Boston pointed me to another Gaillard print by Philipp Needell offered in Ebay. 

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