Lynmouth woodcut print

What is the chance of finding a fine and typical North Devon fishing village woodcut print in a Dutch second hand and antiques shop? I had to do some real "excercising the little gray cells" trying to remember were it is. I've walked there, I've stood there and made photographs there. In the 1980's. It's ofcourse Lynmouth on the Nort Devon coast. 

The printmaker monogrammed his initials H.J. in the dinghy in the lower left. The same little boat seems to be anchored in precisely the same spot in the 1955 photograph below. He obviously changed the tides. Please help me identify him. He was very precise in realistically cutting and printing the view on Lynmouth harbour standing in the corner of the pier. A tourist and a Sunday stroll view. An artists view. A photographers view. And an icecream sellers and chocolate box painters view.

in 1955

and in 1896

  

in the 1950's

An anonymous chocolate box painters view in 1899,

Edgar James Mayberry (1887-1964) stood on this spot too:

Edgar James Mayberry

And Kevin Walsh (born 1950!) stood here. But more recently as is suggested by this wonderful Happy Days nostalgia painting (enjoy more of his great art here).

Kevin Walsh

Alan Tyers (born 1944) was here recently too, although painting from the other side of the harbour. In a silkscreen print style.

Alan Tyers

Probably on the same spot were Steve Pleydell-Pearce created this very nice and "different" view on Lynmouth Harbour. I couldn´t decide between the study and the real painting so I give you both. Great palette and fresh use of colour.

both Steve P.P. (Pleydell-Pearce)

And since you now have been here too, don't forget sending me the printmakers name. 

Speaking of parrots

While looking at parrots in the last two posts and going over my Personal Parrot Print Pictures files I came about another two examples, this is a nice opportunity showing them. 

R. Kampf, "pochoir around 1930". I found this picture after the item was recently sold on Ebay, cheapish (not very expensive), and no doubt to one happy buyer. The printmakers identity to me a mystery. (I did some picture polishing with PS because of bouncing flash right in the centre) 

And this dynamic blue parrot very much in the best Austrian Jungnickel-Bresslern tradition and style. From an older auction catalogue. Dated 1921, and signed by one R. Schmidt. A very able but also mystery printmaker.

 

Max Westhauser

Max Westhäuser

(Hildburghausen 1885 - Bielefeld 1958)

German painter, Arts and Crafts and grafic artist. 

This artist working from the city of Bielefeld is only known to me by this hand pulled woodblock print ("Papagei, original Holzschnitt Handabzug") occasionally turning up in auctions. 
8 blocks were used to create this colourful beast and grapes from an unnumbered edition but I've seen a copy numbered 88/150. 
More information and examples of his work would very welcomed.

Linolschnitt + papagei = Anja Baier

This is a result of feeding Google with these two words. Linocut + parrot in German. I haven't the faintest idea  who made these two prints, 31 x42 cm and printed from three blocks. This is the link to what seems a collective outlet of contemporary artists' work. Would very much like to know who did these (in editions of just 10). 


Added information: They are by contemporary German artist Anja Baier as reader Jürgen (see comments) pointed out to me within 12 hours after editing this posting.  

I just happen to love wood- and linocuts with parrots. Googling you'll find the obvious Heinrich Jungnickels, Norbertine Bresslern-Roths and some Martin Erich Philipps. However not one Fritz Lang in the query. But a handful of others which I will show in due time. But these are actually quite good, maker unknown. He or she capturing the nature of these noisy and busy birds in a new and fresh way. Using only three blocks.  And not just static, sitting, posing and modelling on a branch but active and surprisingly dynamic. 

I lov'um.


My activist brain missed the buttons and connections in that German website completely. Thank you Jürgen ! 

Majestic

I recently read in a publication that scientifique research indicated modern Homo sapiens (we, us) making decisions on impuls made no poorer judgements than the ones making decisions after careful consideration and calculation. So much for the development and functioning of modern human braines. Thus reinsured and backed-up with this new insight in mind I made an impulsive phonecall this morning after finding "Resting Tiger" in a local Internet market. 

It took me an hour and 80 miles of impulsive driving after a quick morning's  coffee meeting Gérard. Besides meeting Gérard I am now very pleased with my new acquisition. I really haven't a clue who the maker is. There is maybe something colonial or Indonesian about it. The tiger most probably Sumatran (Panthera tigris sumatrae). 

It has been framed in Amsterdam and the only thing I can decipher from what is left of the signature is the beginning letter G or (J) + a short family name and ending with 22.

Please agree with me this is a masterful rendering of the beasts habitat,  the Sumatra rainforest. The distribution and alternating dark and light in the print is superb and the soft tones of gray in the animals fur very delicate. And it's big: 23 x 47 cm !   
There were some specific animal specialist artists in the Netherlands in the period but mostly in drawing, watercolour, oil or pastel. The only great woodcut animal specialist I can think of is Samuel Jesserun de Mesquita (1868-1944).

He did many (Zoo) animals but to my knowledge he didn't do tigers. Besides his approach is far more stylistic and he left always a very distinct marking in the block. I promis I'll do a posting on him soon. So if it isn't him, who could be ?
Cornelis Jan Mension (1883-1950) drew some great, even resting, tigers but he did not  make prints.

And thinking, looking and researching I found this great tiger print by English printmaker John Dickinson Batten (1860-1932) but now I am definitely slowly slipping away from the subject.

Viktor Böhm

Viktor Böhm
(1880 Brno – 1954 München)

Czech/German printmaker and painter.

Sometimes Ebay is like a treasure cove. Finding this extra ordinairy woodblock print asked for an impulsive and immediate posting. It is signed and dated 1925. By a very talented but obscured printmaker. Still 9 days (sorry, it was sold or withdrawn within an hour after editing this article) to go. It’s neither befitting my budget in September nor is it in my field of collecting. So following in the footsteps of (are we just going to miss him) Clive's legendary "to have and to hang": take your chance. It certainly is very special, very rare and of great skill and the highest artistic quality. A little research on the www. resulted in just a few other but quite amazing prints by this Czech born printmaker

It is written that Viktor Böhm studied in the Akademie für Bildende Kunst  both in Vienna and in München where he later settled as an artist. He travelled into Scandinavia, Galicia (N.-Spain), Hungary and Italy.

But how he came to make these Chinese and Russian prints heaven may know. His future biographer will certainly have look deeper into Viktors travelling history account. 

High Lamas calling for prayer, Chambynks-Dazzan, 1918

Small temple at sacred Gooselake Chambynks-Dazzan 1918.

Russian village church, West-Siberia 1914

I found two oil paintings by Viktor Böhm too and that’ s all I could scratch together for this posting.

Shepherd boy with drinking goats

Again, after Karl Johne in a previous posting, a very good but forgotten Czech printmaker.

NOID (nr. 13, some Alpine problems)

In the footsteps of Steven's recent posting where he's showing a nice but not yet identified Austrian printmaker I grab this opportunity asking again ID-help for another also far from home, Austrian, linocut print of the Stephansdom in Vienna.

Steven's artist most certainly is Austrian illustrator Rudolf Köhl (1896-1966). With this information Steven even managed finding some more examples of Rudolf Köhl. Again a charming printmaker and some nice works lifted from obscurity combining efforts . 

In my Vienna print I fail properly reading the signature (Hübert/Sibert Z/Leclurg '29 or something). It's an Orig. Holzschnitt. I cannot find a clue on the www. It was found in a local Dutch sale.

Update 04-09-2011: Thanks to Klaus (see comments) the signature reads probably Hubert Lechner, Austrian illustrator, ex-libris and postermaker.

I think the artist did a fine job creating a good composition and using nice colours. It is remarkable that there are hardly any pictures, fotographs or works of art showing the Stephansdom from this side, from the South. At first I thought the print was mirrored but looking closely at the details in the church' facade this is not the case.

The artist must have been viewing the skyline of Vienna at an angle of approximately 45 degr. Estimating the distance from the print he would have been positioned at a location approximately around the old city walls looking down at walled court yard and a small tower. 

Click here for a great king-size 16th century woodblock map and a walk in medieval Vienna.

Speaking of travelling alpine woodblock prints and printmakers (in pré globalised Ebay days) with just one known print behind their name: here are some lonely prints from my not identified-yet files. Right: "Dolomiten" by an unknown but talented (Italian ?)  W. Eversta.

Left: "Winter in Einödsbach" by K. Schmidt-W. (sounds as a  warning not to confuse him with K. Schmidt-Rotluff). He is not in the "Deutsche Künstler Verzeichnis" of 1922. 

Right: Alpine meadow with church by Ellen Tornquist. Born June 26th 1871 in Hamburg. My recent researches on this lady printmaker with a Swedish family name, revealing she very undertakingly travelled around in Africa in 1903 ! From 1906 she worked as an artist from the city of Merano (Northern Alpine Italy). 
But also finding a (another?) contemporary Ellen Tornquist maried in 1906 to Swedens most famous missionary (and filmmaker) who dedicated his life working and pioneering in China's province of Xinjiang from 1904-1937. As did his wife from 1905-1923. To be continued (looking forward to any information and help).

Left: This example literally travelled from the Alps. As a best wishes card by an unknown printmaker. Very clever use of only two blocks to a maximum effect. Great little print. Some very good art work was edited in the interbellum as "Ansichtskarte". Very affordable and collectable. 

Right: Dorothea Milde (1887-1964): besides some black and white prints (many edited as Ansichtskarte) this is the only colour printed example I have found by this well educated German printmaker whom's prints were edited at the same editor as world famous Käthe Colwitz but after a life time of teaching drawing to school girls died old, poor and forgotten. I shall tell you more about her art and life story in a following posting.