The Passion of Collecting Academic Nudes

Join me as we explore my collection of Academic Nudes from the 18th, 19th, and Early 20th Centuries and serendipitous finds in the Museum, Art Auction, and Gallery world......examples from the Golden Age of the European Academie


Saturday, August 13, 2011

Eduard Veith (1856-1925): Study for the Fountain of Youth - Am Jungbrunnen , circa 1900

Portrain of Eduard Veith
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Sellers on eBay Austria keep hitting the ball out of the ballpark with their offerings. Five minutes on the site brought up this beautiful watercolor by Eduard Veith (1856-1925). The drawing is a preliminary study for a later painting titled: "The Fountain of Youth." Veith studied under Ferdinand Laufberger (1829-1881) at the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts. He received further training in Paris and took extensive study trips to Italy, Belgium, and Tunisia. He specialized in plafond (French: ceiling paintings) and frescoes with mythological and historical subject matters. His beautiful works are found in various public buildings in Vienna and Prague.


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Caption: Am Jungbrunnen (At the Fountain of Youth)


Artist: Eduard Veith (1856-1925)


Material: Pencil sketch and watercolor on paper
Dated: circa 1900

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Here are just a few examples of Veith's mature works:


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Playing Putti








Young Beauty and the Fortune Teller



Two Female Nudes







Tobias and the Angel







The Fountain of Youth


















Children at Play

Friday, August 12, 2011

Rudolf Jettmar (1869-1939) Symbolist Artist: Expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden

eBay Austria has an interesting listing this morning by the famous Symbolist painter Rudolf Jettmar (1869-1939). The title is "The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden." It is composed of two of my favorite themes in art: "The Nude" and "Adam & Eve." The mythology of Adam and Eve is but a good opportunity for an artist to bring together both the male and the female nudes in one composition, something not often seen in purely academic art. The theme itself has a long history in Art and has been worked and reworked until it has become a cliche, however, an enjoyable cliche to me.

Rudolf Jettmar was a Viennese painter and print maker who was born in Poland in the mid 19th century. In fact he was a founding member of the Vienna Secession and created many works for the groups magazine. Jettmar was an important representative of the European Symbolist Movement. In 1895 he took the Prix de Rome and studied for six months in Italy. The main themes of his works are drawn from mythology, always using the human figure, nude and clothed, against a background of moody heroic landscapes. In 1911 he was made Professor of the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts and until 1914 was at the heart of Viennese Art. In 1925 he took over the position of Professor of the general painting course at the academy. Jettmar was also an accomplished chamber musician and that influence can be readily seen in his compositions and use of color.
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Here are but a few of Jettmar's works:

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Thursday, August 11, 2011

Peter Trumm (Jean-Pierre Joseph Trumm)(1888-1966) Woodcut with Nude Figures - 1910

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Several weeks ago I introduced you to the artist Peter Trumm (1888-1966). Trumm studied at the Academies of Karlsruhe and Munich. I managed to buy an original woodcut by the artist on eBay Germany last week and it arrived today. It was a bargain price wise, even considering the shipping was three times the cost of the print. I am a bit mystified, however, by the subject matter but it is, to say the least, interesting. I am not sure what is going on, most probably a scene from mythology. I scanned it and stitched the two parts together. Enjoy.
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Caption: Nude figures in Landscape
Artist: Peter Trumm (1888-1966)
Materials: Woodcut on thin Japan paper
Dated: Signed, circa 1910


Fritz Douzette (1878-1955): Pencil drawing, Nude Boy, After Prof. Georg Sturm (1855-1923) Allegory of the Hunt

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I was browsing an eBay seller's listings in Germany yesterday and I ran across a small drawing of a nude boy that on first appearance appeared to be a preliminary study for a larger work. The seller indicated the drawing was from the estate of Fritz Douzette (1878-1955) and attributed the drawing to him solely upon the "Nachlass Fritz Douzette" stamp on the back of the drawing, but I immediately recognized the subject as coming from a series of allegorical murals done by Professor Georg Sturm (1855-1923). It is not really clear whether Douzette copied the figure from a print (first illustration below and above) or if the drawing was a study by Sturm himself and just part of Douzette's estate collection. Without that key signature on the drawing, we may never know. Anyway, the small pencil drawing is a nice academic study, perhaps created for nothing but the sheer admiration of the original.
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Dr. Georg Sturm (1855-1923) Allegory of the Hunt




Fritz Douzette (1878-1955) Nude Boy, after Allegory of the Hunt, from the estate of the artist.