Self-portrait Poland
Daniel Caffé was a distinguished German pastel painter of portraits. Known for his meticulous craftsmanship and the emotive depth of his portraiture, Caffé initially embarked on a career in architectural decoration before his talents led him to Dresden to become a portrait artist.
Daniel Caffé's journey into the world of fine arts was marked by his study at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts under the guidance of significant figures like Casanova and the influence of neoclassical artist Anton Raphael Mengs. His mastery of pastel made him a favored portraitist among the nobility and notable figures of his time, including Russian patrons like Prince Beloselski and Admiral Fyodor Grigoryevich Orloff.
His works, celebrated for their detailed and expressive nature, capture the essence of his subjects with striking realism and emotional depth. Among his notable works are portraits of prominent individuals such as Johann George Tromlitz and Karl August von Hardenberg, which not only exemplify his skill but also his contribution to the documentation of his era's influential figures.
Daniel Caffé's legacy as a pastel painter is preserved in various art collections and continues to be admired for its historical significance and artistic merit. He passed away on January 16, 1815, in Leipzig, leaving behind a body of work that continues to be studied and revered in the art community.
For collectors and experts in art and antiques, Daniel Caffé's portraits offer a glimpse into the refined pastel techniques and cultural narratives of the late 18th to early 19th century. His works remain a significant part of German art history, celebrated for their contribution to the development of portrait painting.
To explore more about Daniel Caffé’s life and works, consider signing up for updates on exhibitions and auctions where his art is featured. This will provide opportunities to engage more deeply with the legacy of this notable artist.
Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita was a Dutch graphic artist, born on June 6, 1868, in Amsterdam, into a Sephardic Jewish family. He became well-known for his contributions to graphic art, especially in the years leading up to the Second World War, and was notable for his mentorship of the famed artist M. C. Escher. De Mesquita's work was characterized by a variety of techniques and mediums, including wood engravings, etchings, lithographs, watercolors, and drawings. His art often featured birds, exotic animals, plants, flowers, and fantastical elements, both humorous and grim, showcasing his deep experimentation and mastery over his craft.
His career took a significant turn around 1915 when he began to gain prominence within Dutch graphic art, partly due to his teaching positions in the field. De Mesquita's penchant for experimentation led him to explore various materials for his prints, such as marble and zinc, and he often processed his prints with other materials, resulting in unique artworks. His subjects ranged from his immediate surroundings, such as his own home or the Artis zoo in Amsterdam, to more experimental and imaginative works that included quasi-human figures and fantastical landscapes.
Unfortunately, de Mesquita's life and career were tragically cut short by the Holocaust. Despite friends urging him to go into hiding, Samuel and his wife believed their Sephardic heritage would protect them. This proved to be a fatal miscalculation, and on January 31, 1944, they were arrested by the Nazis and subsequently died in Auschwitz. Their son Jaap died in Theresienstadt in March of the same year. M.C. Escher, a former pupil and friend, managed to save some of de Mesquita's works after his death, preserving his legacy for future generations.
Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita's body of work is a testament to his skill and creativity, with his pieces held in collections like the Kunstmuseum Den Haag and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. His works range from serene and simple depictions of animals and plants to more complex and imaginative 'Sensitivist' drawings that evoked a unique world from the artist's imagination.
For collectors and experts in art and antiques, de Mesquita's work offers a unique insight into the rich tradition of Dutch graphic arts and the avant-garde experiments of the early 20th century. His influence, particularly on M.C. Escher, highlights his importance in the development of graphic arts. Sign up for updates related to Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita to stay informed about new product sales and auction events showcasing his remarkable works.
Günter Wilhelm Grass was a German novelist, poet, playwright, illustrator, graphic artist, sculptor, and recipient of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Grass is best known for his first novel, The Tin Drum (1959), a key text in European magic realism. It was the first book of his Danzig Trilogy, the other two being Cat and Mouse and Dog Years. His works are frequently considered to have a left-wing political dimension, and Grass was an active supporter of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). The Tin Drum was adapted as a film of the same name, which won both the 1979 Palme d'Or and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In 1999, the Swedish Academy awarded him the Nobel Prize in Literature, praising him as a writer "whose frolicsome black fables portray the forgotten face of history".
Lotte Laserstein was a German-Swedish artist and a prominent representative of German realism.
Lotte was a student at the prestigious Berlin Academy of Fine Arts and became an accomplished realist painter, receiving a gold medal from the Academy for her work. Her first exhibition took place in 1930 at a Berlin gallery. Laserstein worked partly in figurative painting, had apprentices, and illustrated anatomy texts to earn money. She also painted portraits of cosmopolitan, emancipated women as well as self-portraits.
The National Socialist regime forced the artist to leave Germany in 1937 and emigrate to Sweden. Her mother died in a concentration camp. Lotte Laserstein lived in Stockholm until the end of her life, creating over five decades of work, in addition to expressive self-portraits, many moving images of other immigrants, rural landscapes and urban scenes in Sweden.
Lotte Laserstein became a member of the Swedish Academy of Fine Arts and earned a reputation as a popular and respected portraitist. She has approximately 10,000 works in her oeuvre.
Aleksander Orłowski (Russian: Александр Осипович Орловский), a renowned Polish painter and sketch artist, was born on March 9, 1777, in Warsaw, within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. His journey into the arts began under challenging circumstances; he was the son of a tavern-keeper and his family was not wealthy. His early promise in art was nurtured by noble patron Izabela Czartoryska, who financed his initial education under the guidance of artist Jan Piotr Norblin.
Orłowski's artistic journey intersected with his military service during the Kościuszko Uprising, a major revolt against Imperial Russia and Prussia in 1794. This period of conflict significantly influenced his later works, which often depicted military scenes and the daily life of soldiers. After the partitions of Poland, Orłowski moved to Saint Petersburg in 1802, where he became a seminal figure in the development of lithography in the Russian Empire.
His oeuvre includes a wide array of subjects, from battle scenes to cultural depictions of everyday life in both Poland and Russia. Notable works such as "Battle Scene" and "Cossack Fighting Off A Tiger" showcase his skill in capturing dynamic movement and drama. His works are preserved in esteemed institutions such as The Russian Museum and The Tretyakov Gallery, highlighting their historical and artistic value.
Orłowski's impact extended beyond the canvas; he was also mentioned in literary works by notable authors like Adam Mickiewicz and Alexander Pushkin, which underscores his cultural significance in the 19th century.
For collectors and experts in art and antiques, Aleksander Orłowski's works represent a crucial segment of Eastern European art history. To stay informed about new discoveries or auction events related to his works, consider subscribing for updates. This subscription ensures you receive timely information tailored to your interests, directly relating to new sales and significant events around Orłowski's art.
Robert Reinick was a German painter and poet who studied at the Berlin Academy of Arts and later at the Düsseldorf Academy under Friedrich Wilhelm von Schadow. He also travelled to Italy in 1838 and became a member of the Ponte Molle Society in Rome. Reinick settled in Dresden in 1844 and worked as a poet, translator and artist until his death in 1852. He was friends with many notable personalities, including Robert Schumann and Richard Wagner. Reinick's poem "Wie ist doch die Erde so schön, so schön!" was set to music by Johannes Brahms and gained great popularity through its use in the film Oedipussi by Loriot.
Zbigniew Rogalski is a Polish installation artist and photographer.
He is considered not just a painter, but a director of paintings, because he easily mixes painting and photography, taking advantage of both. As a result, Zbigniew Rogalski achieves illusion and optical effects in his creations, whether portrait or landscape.
Paul Alfred Schroeter or Schröter was a German painter and etcher. He became a member of the Munich Secession and participated in their first exhibition of 1894. From 1898 to 1901, he lived in Hamburg where he became a co-founder of the Hamburgischer Künstlerklub. Many of his works are in private collections. Most of the others were destroyed during World War II.
Emil Wilhelm Stumpp was a German painter, teacher, and artist known for his cartoons and drawings of well-known people in the 1930s during the Weimar Republic. He created portraits of many well known people including Bertold Brecht, Chancellor Friedrich Ebert, Thomas Mann. He was eventually commissioned to create a portrait of Adolf Hitler for his birthday in 1933. The work was not well received and the portrait, Stumpp, his paper (the General Anzeiger), and its editor were all prohibited. He left about 6,000 drawings which were all drawn from life.
