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Head Prints and Multiples

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Art Subject: Head
Bubble Me
Bubble Me

Bubble Me

By Joel Moens de Hase

Located in Nottingham, GB

Limited edition Photographic Mosaic. Edition of 8 Joel creates these contemporary pieces by adding lots of tiny images of the female form to make up the larger image. These small p...

Category

2010s Pop Art Figurative Prints

Materials

Mosaic

Belle Jardinaire
Belle Jardinaire

Belle Jardinaire

By Eugène Grasset

Located in New York, NY

Grasset, Eugene."Belle Jardinaire," Proof for the calendar "Belle Jardinaire" 1896. On China paper produced for the month of August, 12 7/8 x 9 7/8"

Category

1890s Art Nouveau Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Wouldn't it be nice... Limited Edition (print) by Murakami signed and numbered
Wouldn't it be nice... Limited Edition (print) by Murakami signed and numbered

Wouldn't it be nice... Limited Edition (print) by Murakami signed and numbered

By Takashi Murakami

Located in Hong Kong, HK

Wouldn't it be nice if we could do such a thing, 2018 by Takashi Murakami, published by Kaikai Kiki. Offset lithograph, numbered and signed by the artist; signed in the plate with th...

Category

2010s Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

Mommy Why?

Mommy Why?

By Joan Snyder

Located in New York, NY

Joan Snyder has been called an autobiographical, even confessional artist, who draws from her experiences and surroundings to create her paintings. While her subjects vary widely, Sn...

Category

1980s Expressionist Figurative Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Mark Ryden Etching: Tree of Life

Mark Ryden Etching: Tree of Life

By Mark Ryden

Located in Miami, FL

Mark Ryden Tree of Life, 2008 Etching Ed. 19 of 40 28 x 21 in Signed and numbered by the artist. Includes a certificate of authenticity.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Yellow Shutters
Yellow Shutters

Yellow Shutters

By Stephen Scott Young

Located in Austin, TX

Stephen Scott Young, "Yellow Shutters" Etching on German copperplate paper 5.5 x 7.5 in. [sight], 13.25 x 14.75 in. [framed] Pencil-signed lower right, titled lower center, and num...

Category

Late 20th Century American Realist Portrait Prints

Materials

Copper

Mask of Minos - Etching, 1897
Mask of Minos - Etching, 1897

Mask of Minos - Etching, 1897

By (after) Auguste Rodin

Located in Paris, IDF

Auguste RODIN (after) Mask of Minos, 1897 Etching enhanced with watercolor On vellum 42.5 x 31 cm (c. 16.7 x 12.2 inches) Edition limited to 125 copies, send with the certificate of...

Category

1890s Modern Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Francesco Clemente, Geography West
Francesco Clemente, Geography West

Francesco Clemente, Geography West

By Francesco Clemente

Located in New York, NY

GEOGRAPHY, WEST Year: 1992 Medium: 2-color, soft ground etching Paper Size: 28 x 25 inches (71 x 64 cm) Plate Size: 19 x 18 inches (48 x 46 cm) Edition: 60 Price: $6,000 Suite of f...

Category

1990s Contemporary Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

"Arab Children, " Portrait of Two Figures Lithograph signed by Fletcher Martin
"Arab Children, " Portrait of Two Figures Lithograph signed by Fletcher Martin

"Arab Children, " Portrait of Two Figures Lithograph signed by Fletcher Martin

By Fletcher Martin

Located in Milwaukee, WI

"Arab Children" is an original lithograph by Fletcher Martin. The artist signed the piece lower right. This piece features two young children--a boy and a girl--with downcast eyes in draped fabric clothes in an interior. 12" x 8" art 22" x 18" frame Fletcher Martin was an American painter, illustrator, muralist and educator. He is best known for his images of soldier life during World War II and his sometimes brutal images of boxing and other sports. His artistic skills were largely self-taught. He worked as a printer in Los Angeles in the late 1920s, and as an assistant to Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros in the early 1930s. He taught at local art schools such as Otis Art Institute. He won commissions to paint murals for the New Deal's Section of Painting and Sculpture, including Mail Transportation (1938), painted for the San Pedro Federal Building and Post Office in Los Angeles. Under the WPA he painted a mural study for the Kellogg, Idaho post office titled Mine Rescue (1939). Local industrialists objected that it depicted the dangers of mining, while officials of the Mine & Smelt Workers Union praised it. The industrialists prevailed and Martin painted an uncontroversial mural, Discovery (1941), depicting the prospector who founded the town. The rejected mural study is now in the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Perhaps his most ambitious mural, also done under the WPA, was painted for North Hollywood High School in Los Angeles. Legends of Fernandino and Gabrileno Indians (1937) depicts overlapping scenes of Native American life and ritual, and the world being carried on the backs of giants. As an artist-correspondent for Life Magazine during World War II, he made hundreds of sketches of U.S. soldier life. Fourteen of his paintings from the North African campaign were published in the December 27, 1943 issue of Life, and brought him national recognition. Among these was Boy Picking Flowers...

Category

1940s American Realist Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Ballet und Pantomime "Primula Vera", plate #7.
Ballet und Pantomime "Primula Vera", plate #7.

Ballet und Pantomime "Primula Vera", plate #7.

By Walter Schnackenberg

Located in Palm Beach, FL

Walter Schnackenberg’s style changed several times during his long and successful career. Having studied in Munich, the artist traveled often to Paris where he fell under the spell of the Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s colorful and sensuous posters depicting theatrical and decadent subjects. Schnackenberg became a regular contributor of similar compositions to the German magazines Jugend and Simplicissimus before devoting himself to the design of stage scenery and costumes. In the artist’s theatrical work, his mastery of form, ornamentation, and Orientalism became increasingly evident. He excelled at combining fluid Art Nouveau outlines, with spiky Expressionist passages, and the postures and patterns of the mysterious East. In his later years, Schnackenberg explored the unconscious, using surreal subject matter and paler colors that plainly portrayed dreams and visions, some imbued with political connotations. His drawings, illustrations, folio prints, and posters are highly sought today for their exceedingly imaginative qualities, enchanting subject matter, and arresting use of color. SCHNACKENBERG BALLET UND PANTOMIME...

Category

1920s Art Deco Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper

Été souverain

Été souverain

By Corneille

Located in Östermalm, Stockholms län

Publisher GKM. Unframed. Edition of 150 ex. Paper: 300gr. Goya. Signed, dated and numbered. Free shipment worldwide. Corneille, one of the founders of the COBRA group, has passed aw...

Category

1980s Contemporary Figurative Prints

Materials

Screen

Just Marilyn - Lithograph by Alejo Vidal-Quadras - 1960s

Just Marilyn - Lithograph by Alejo Vidal-Quadras - 1960s

Located in Roma, IT

Lithograph on paper. Hand-signed by the artist in pencil in the lower right. Numbered in pencil in the lower left. Edition of 300.  Excellent condition. 

Category

1960s Contemporary Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Inès and Her Child
Inès and Her Child

Inès and Her Child

By Pablo Picasso

Located in Naples, Florida

Lithograph in black on Arches paper Edition: Printer’s proof, annotated “6/6 FM”, outside the edition of 50 + 5 artist’s proofs Inscribed on the verso: “M. 61...

Category

1940s Modern Figurative Prints

Materials

Archival Paper, Lithograph

Symbols Devil
Symbols Devil

Symbols Devil

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Hollywood, FL

ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Symbols Devil MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed PUBLISHER: EGI/Vanguard Studios (Beverly Hills) EDITION NUMBER: 26/150 MEASUREMENTS: 16" x 16" ...

Category

1970s Surrealist Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Kostume, Plakate, und Dekorationen, "Flower of Evil"
Kostume, Plakate, und Dekorationen, "Flower of Evil"

Kostume, Plakate, und Dekorationen, "Flower of Evil"

By Walter Schnackenberg

Located in Palm Beach, FL

Walter Schnackenberg’s style changed several times during his long and successful career. Having studied in Munich, the artist traveled often to Paris where he fell under the spell of the Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s colorful and sensuous posters depicting theatrical and decadent subjects. Schnackenberg became a regular contributor of similar compositions to the German magazines Jugend and Simplicissimus before devoting himself to the design of stage scenery and costumes. In the artist’s theatrical work, his mastery of form, ornamentation, and Orientalism became increasingly evident. He excelled at combining fluid Art Nouveau outlines, with spiky Expressionist passages, and the postures and patterns of the mysterious East. In his later years, Schnackenberg explored the unconscious, using surreal subject matter and paler colors that plainly portrayed dreams and visions, some imbued with political connotations. His drawings, illustrations, folio prints, and posters are highly sought today for their exceedingly imaginative qualities, enchanting subject matter, and arresting use of color. SCHNACKENBERG: KOSTUME, PLAKATE UND DEKORATIONEN, a cardboard bound art book consisting of 43 prints of work by Walter Schnackenberg, 30 of which are color lithographs that are signed and some are titled and dated in the plate, as well as black and white prints and photographs with accompanying text by Oskar Bie; lithographs printed at Kunstanstalt Oskar Consee in Munich, other images printed by Gesellschaft Pick & Co. in Munich, the text and cover with color images by Schnackenberg front and verso printed by R. Oldenbourg in Munich; published by Musarion Verlag, Munich, 1920. The majority of Walter Schnackenberg’s artistic output was destroyed by bomb attacks in Munich in 1944. The highly publicized 2013 auction in New York of the recovered pre-war poster collection once belonging to German poster aficionado, Hans Sachs...

Category

1910s Expressionist Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Jacqueline Kennedy III (Jackie III)
Jacqueline Kennedy III (Jackie III)

Jacqueline Kennedy III (Jackie III)

By Andy Warhol

Located in New York, NY

Jackie III, created as part of the artist’s, 11 Pop Artists III portfolio in 1966, is an early print created by Andy Warhol as a screenprint in metallic inks on wove paper. Signed b...

Category

20th Century Pop Art Portrait Prints

Materials

Screen

signed original etching - Artist's Proof

signed original etching - Artist's Proof

By Jack Levine

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original soft ground etching. Signed in pencil and annotated "Artist's Proof". Printed in 1967 for the Dreigroschen Film portfolio and published by Touchstone Publishers. Thi...

Category

1960s Expressionist Prints and Multiples

Materials

Etching

Art Deco Chinese Pharmacy Advertisement Poster
Art Deco Chinese Pharmacy Advertisement Poster

Art Deco Chinese Pharmacy Advertisement Poster

Located in Chicago, IL

This advertising calendar poster dated from 1920 for the "Chinese and Western Medicine Pharmacy" melds the meticulous detail of traditional Chinese painting with the craft of color lithography. Compared to other Western influenced advertisements of the era featuring seductive women, posters like this one captivated consumers with the latest fashion trends. We see a woman with a Western hair cut...

Category

1920s Art Deco Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper, Ink

Two Trophies with a Breast Plate and a Ram's Head

Two Trophies with a Breast Plate and a Ram's Head

By Enea Vico

Located in New York, NY

Enea Vico (1523-1567 engraving, Two Trophies With a Breast Plate and a Ram’s Head, 1550, Bartsch 447, with the name of the publisher Ant[onio] Lafreri at bottom, before numbers. Goo...

Category

16th Century Old Masters Figurative Prints

Materials

Engraving

Untitled Gargoyle
Untitled Gargoyle

Untitled Gargoyle

By Esteban Chavez

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Artists proof printed on 100% cotton rag monochromatic Panoramic

Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Landscape Prints

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Rag Paper, Lithograph

Vivien
Vivien

Vivien

By Alex Katz

Located in Palm Desert, CA

“Vivien” is a figurative, silkscreen portrait by Pop artist, Alex Katz. The artwork is signed, in pencil, lower left "Alex Katz 43/60” Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1927, Alex Katz...

Category

2010s Pop Art Portrait Prints

Materials

Screen

Giclée Print: 'DIANGELO'
Giclée Print: 'DIANGELO'

Giclée Print: 'DIANGELO'

By David Calderley

Located in New York, NY

GRAPHICTHERAPY is David Calderley: an Englishman in New York, Creative/Art Director, Graphic Designer and Illustrator. After graduating from the esteemed St. Martin’s School of Art in Covent Garden, London and beginning a freelance career, he moved to New York City in 1990. Over the last 30+ years he has designed over 1200 albums and single covers, as well as promotional and full campaigns for a myriad of artists including, Interpol, Madonna, The White Stripes, RZA, Moby, The Black Crowes, Elvis Costello, to name a few. After a 10 year spot as the Creative Director for Sir Richard Branson’s North American Record Label V2, he set up GRAPHICTHERAPY in 2007, a small boutique creative agency that offers a complete range of design services, both in print and media. A unique mix of art direction, design and creative illustration can be seen across a wide variety of brands, products and publications in music, fashion, events and campaigns. His largest illustrated piece is a 90ftx50ft mural on 57th and Park Avenue for the British menswear company, Turnbull & Asser, as part of their rebrand. David’s work has been recognized by numerous global companies and publications, and has won several industry awards. He continues to work from his studio in Harlem. This capsule of collage/mixed media prints: ‘Eating Vinegar with A Fork,’ reflecting a dry wit, as suggested in the title; juxtaposing formal Victorian etchings...

Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Prints

Materials

Giclée

Devant la Mort
Devant la Mort

Devant la Mort

By Jean Louis Forain

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist: Jean-Louis Forain (French, 1852-1931) Title: Devant la Mort Year: 1918 Medium: Lithograph Edition: Numbered 266/300 in pencil Paper: Wove Size paper: 15 x 22.25 inche...

Category

Early 20th Century Impressionist Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

The Mythology Narcissus
The Mythology Narcissus

The Mythology Narcissus

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Hollywood, FL

ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: The Mythology Narcissus MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed PUBLISHER: Pierre Argillet, Paris EDITION NUMBER: XXXI/C MEASUREMENTS: 18" x 30" YEAR...

Category

1960s Surrealist Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

"Girl in the Garden" Copper Plate Heliogravure
"Girl in the Garden" Copper Plate Heliogravure

"Girl in the Garden" Copper Plate Heliogravure

By Ferdinand Hodler & R. Piper & Co.

Located in Palm Beach, FL

2018 marks the centenary anniversary of Ferdinand Hodler’s death. In that 100 years time, the art world’s esteem of this important artist has proved fickle. It has shifted from extolling his artistic merits during his lifetime to showing something of a feigned disdain- more reflective of the world political order than a true change of heart for Hodler’s work. After years of Hodler being all but a footnote in the annals of art history and generally ignored, finally, the pendulum has righted itself once again. Recent retrospective exhibitions in Europe and the United States have indicated not only a joyful rediscovery of Hodler’s art but a firm conviction that his work and world view hold particular relevance today. DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS is not only a collection of printed work reflecting the best of all of his painted work created up to 1914 just before the outbreak of World War I, the portfolio itself is an encapsulation of Hodler’s ethos, Parallelisme. Hodler developed his philosophy of Parallelisme as a unifying approach to art which strips away detail in search of harmony. By means of abstraction, symmetry and repetition, Hodler sought ways to depict Nature’s essence and her fundamental, universal order. He believed these universal laws governing the natural, observable world extend to the spiritual realm. Symbolist in nature with Romantic undertones, his works are equally portraits of these universal concepts and feelings governing all life as they are a visual portrait in the formal sense. Whether his subject is a solitary tree, a moment in battle, mortal fear, despair, the awe inspired by a vast mountain range, a tender moment or even the collective conviction in a belief, Hodler unveils this guiding principle of Parallelisme. Several aspects of Hodler’s portfolio reinforce his tenets of Parallelisme. The Table of Contents clearly preferences a harmonious design over detail. The two columns, consisting of twenty lines each, list the images by order of appearance using their German titles. The abbreviated titles are somewhat cryptic in that they obscure the identities of the sitters. Like the image Hodler presents, they are distillations of the sitter without any extraneous details. This shortening was also done in an effort to maintain a harmonious symmetry of the Table of Contents, themselves, and keep titles to a one-line limit. The twenty-fourth title: “Bildnis des Schweizerischen Gesandten C.” was so long, even with abbreviation, that it required two lines; so, for the sake of maintaining symmetry, the fortieth title: “Bauernmadchen” was omitted from the list. This explains why the images are not numbered. Hodler’s reasoning is not purely esoteric. Symmetry and pattern reach beyond mere formal design principles. Finding sameness and imposing it over disorder goes to the root of Hodler’s identity and his art. A Swiss native, Hodler was bi-lingual and spoke German and French. Each printed image, even number forty, have titles in both of Hodler’s languages. Certainly, there was a market for Hodler’s work among francophones and this inclusion may have been a polite gesture to that end; however, this is the only place in the portfolio which includes French. With German titles at the lower left of each image, Hodler’s name at bottom center and corresponding French titles at the lower right of each image, there is a harmony and symmetry woven into all aspects of the portfolio. This holds true for the page design, as it applies to each printed image and as it describes the Swiss artist himself. Seen in this light, Hodler’s portfolio of printed work is the epitome of Hodler’s Parallelisme. DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS is also one of the most significant documents to best tell the story of how Hodler, from Switzerland, became caught between political cross-hairs and how the changing tides of nations directly impacted the artist during his lifetime as well as the accessibility of his art for generations to come. The Munich-based publisher of the portfolio, R. Piper & Co., Verlag, plays a crucial role in this story. Publishing on a wide range of subjects from philosophy and world religion to music, literature and the visual arts; the publisher’s breadth of inquiry within any one genre was equal in scope. Their marketing strategy to publish multiple works on Hodler offers great insight as to what a hot commodity Hodler was at that time. R.Piper & Co.’s Almanach, which they published in 1914 in commemoration of their first ten years in business, clearly illustrates the rapid succession- strategically calculated for achieving the deepest and broadest impact - in which they released three works on Hodler to hit the market by the close of 1914. DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS was their premier publication. It preceded C.A. Loosli’s Die Zeichnungen Ferdinand Hodlers, a print portfolio after 50 drawings by Hodler which was released in Autumn of 1914 at the mid-level price-point of 75-150 Marks; and a third less expensive collection of prints after original works by Hodler, which had not been included in either of the first two portfolios, was released at the end of that year entitled Ferdinand Hodler by Dr. Ewald Bender. The title and timing of DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS' debut leaves little doubt as to the connection it has with another avant-garde portfolio of art prints, Das Werk Gustav Klimts, released in 5 installments from 1908 -1914 by Galerie Miethke in Vienna. Hodler, himself, was involved in Klimt’s ground-breaking project. As the owner of Klimt’s 1901 painting, “Judith with the Head of Holifernes” which appears as the ninth collotype print in the second installment of Das Werk Gustav Klimts, Hodler was obliged to grant access of the painting to the art printers in Vienna for them to create the collotype sometime before 1908. Hodler had been previously invited in 1904 to take part in what would be the last exhibition of the Vienna Secession before Klimt and others associated with Galerie Miethke broke away. In an interview that same year, Hodler indicated that he respected and was impressed by Klimt. Hodler’s esteem for Klimt went beyond the art itself; he emulated Klimt’s method aimed at increasing his market reach and appeal to a wider audience by creating a print portfolio of his painted work. By 1914, Hodler and his publisher had the benefit of hindsight to learn from Klimt’s Das Werk publication. Responding to the sluggish sales of Klimt’s expensive endeavor, Hodler’s publisher devised the same diversified 1-2-3 strategy for selling Hodler’s Das Werk portfolio as they did with regards to all three works on Hodler they published that year. For their premium tier of DAS WERKS FERDINAND HODLERS, R. Piper & Co. issued an exclusive Museum quality edition of 15 examples on which Hodler signed each page. At a cost of 600 Marks, this was generally on par with Klimt’s asking price of 600 Kronen for his Das Werk portfolio. A middle-tiered Preferred edition of 30, costing somewhat less and with Hodler’s signature only on the Title Page, was also available. The General edition, targeting the largest audience with its much more affordable price of 150 Marks, is distinguishable by its smaller size. Rather than use the subscription format Miethke had chosen for Klimt’s portfolios which proved to have had its challenges, R. Piper & Co. employed a different strategy. In addition to instantly gratifying the buyer with all 40 of the prints comprising DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS and the choice among three price points, they advertised in German journals a fourth possibility of ordering single prints from them directly. These printed images are easily discernible from the three complete folio editions. The paper size of the single purchased images is of the larger format like the Museum and Preferred editions, measuring 65 h x 50 w cm; however, the paper itself is the same copper print paper used in the General edition and then mounted on poster board. The publishing house positioned itself to be a direct retailer of Hodler’s art. They astutely recognized the potential for profitability and the importance, therefore, of having proprietary control over his graphic works. R. Piper & Co. owned the exclusive printing rights to Hodler’s best work found in their three publications dating from 1914. That same year, a competing publication out of Weimar entitled Ferdinand Hodler: Ein Deutungsversuch von Hans Muhlestein appeared. Its author, a young scholar, expressed his frustration with the limited availability of printable work by Hodler. In his Author’s Note on page 19, dated Easter, 1914, Muhlestein confirms that the publisher of Hodler’s three works from that same year owned the exclusive reproductive rights to Hodler’s printed original work. He goes further to explain that even after offering to pay to use certain of those images in his book, the publisher refused. Clearly, a lot of jockeying for position in what was perceived as a hot market was occurring in 1914. Instead, their timing couldn’t have been more ill-fated, and what began with such high hopes suddenly found a much different market amid a hostile climate. The onset of WWI directly impacted sales. Many, including Ferdinand Hodler, publicly protested the September invasion by Germany of France in which the Reims Cathedral, re-built in the 13th century, was shelled, destroying priceless stained glass and statuary and burning off the iron roof and badly damaging its wooden interior. Thomas Gaehtgens, Director of the Getty Research Institute describes how the bombing of Reims Cathedral triggered blindingly powerful and deeply-felt ultra-nationalistic responses: “The event profoundly shocked French intellectuals, who for the most part had an intense admiration for German literature, music and art. By relying on press accounts and abstracting from the visual propagandistic content, they were unable to interpret the siege of Reims without turning away from German culture in disgust. Similarly, the German intelligentsia and bourgeoisie were also shocked to find themselves described as vandals and barbarians. Ninety-three writers, scientists, university professors, and artists signed a protest, directed against the French insults, that defended the actions of the German army.” In similar fashion, a flurry of open letters published in German newspapers and journals as well as telegrams and postcards sent directly to Hodler following his outcry in support of Reims reflected the collectively critical reaction to Hodler’s position. Loosli documents that among the list of telegrams Hodler received was one from none other than his publisher in Germany, R.Piper & Co. Allegiances were questioned. The market for Hodler in Germany immediately softened. Matters worsened for the publisher beyond the German backlash to Hodler and his loss of appeal in the home market; with the war in full swing until 1918, there was little chance a German publisher would have much interest coming from outside of Germany and Austria. Following the war and Hodler’s death in 1918, the economy in Germany continued to spiral out and just 5 years later, hyper-inflation had rendered its currency worthless vis-a-vis its value in the pre-war years. Like the economy, Hodler’s reputation was slow to find currency in these difficult times. Even many French art fans had turned sour on Hodler as they considered his long-standing relationship in German and Austrian art circles. Thus, the portfolio’s rarity in Hodler’s lifetime and, consequently, the availability of these printed images from DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS since his death has been scarce. In many ways, Hodler and his portfolios were casualties of war. Thwarted from their intended purpose of reaching a wide audience and show-casing Parallelisme, Hodler’s unique approach to art, this important, undated work has been both elusive and shrouded in mystery. Perhaps DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS was left undated as a means of affirming the timelessness of Hodler’s art. Digging back into the past, Hodler’s contemporaries, like R. Piper, C.A. Loosli and Hans Muhlestein, indeed provide the keys to unequivocally clarify what has largely been mired in obscurity. Just after Hodler’s death, the May, 1918 issue of the Burlington Review ran a small column which opined hope for better access to R.Piper & Co.’s DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS; 100 years later, it is finally possible. Hodler’s voice rings out through these printed works. Once more, his modern approach to depicting portraits, landscapes and grand scale scenes of Swiss history speak to us of what is universal. Engaging with any one of these images is the chance to connect to Hodler’s vision and his world view- weltanschauung in German, vision du monde in French- however one expresses these concepts through language, its message embedded in his work is the same: “We differ from one another, but we are like each other even more. What unifies us is greater and more powerful than what divides us.” Today, Hodler’s art couldn’t be more timely. FERDINAND HODLER (SWISS, 1853-1918) explored Parallelisme through figurative poses evocative of music, dance and ritual. His images of sex, night, desertion and death as well as his many landscapes exploring the universal longing for harmony with Nature are unique and important works embodying a Symbolist paradigm. Truly a Modern Master, Hodler’s influence can be felt in the work of Gustav Klimt and Kolomon Moser and subsequent Expressionist artists such as Egon Schiele. He was born into an impoverished family in Bern, Switzerland in 1853. His entire family succumbed to tuberculosis, and he was orphaned by the age of 13, the only surviving child among his 13 siblings. In the absence of family, the influence and guidance which his art instructors provided Hodler was foundational and profound. Hodler began formal studies in 1872 at the Geneva School of Design. Under Barthelemy Menn, Hodler was drawn to the ordered beauty of Euclidian geometry and Durer’s fundamentals of human proportion that proved to be guiding principles informing his art throughout his life. By the 1880s, Hodler began to enjoy some recognition for his work which put him on a new path towards stability. Remaining in Geneva, he became assistant to the well-known muralist, Edouard Castres. Following his first solo show in 1885, Hodler’s work took on a Symbolist quality. He frequently associated with a group of Swiss Symbolist...

Category

1910s Symbolist Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper