Semi-Nude Male - Late 19th Century - Unknown Artist

I spotted this very nice academic study several days ago on one of the European eBay sites. Unfortunately the drawing is unsigned so the identity of the artist is lost to the ages! The thing that grabbed my attention and something which really stands out from the usual pose male subjects take is that very masculine pose, arms crossed, legs spread far apart, and a look that challenges the viewer. Pay close attention to the drawing technique and the displayed skill of the artist. Enjoy.

Max Nonnenbruch (1857 – 1922) - Orientalist Female Nude

The Artist Max Nonnenbruch (1857-1922)(Above) Last week I was floating around on eBay France when I came across this beautiful pastel work of a semi-nude female by the German Artist Max Nonnenbruch (25 January 1857 – 13 March 1922). The beauty of the work was just breath taking. Well, the bidding ended just now and I made the German Anonymous Bidder (I hate people who hide their identity on these European Auction sites) and certified S.O.B pay through the nose for it! I suspect it was a European Gallery owner behind the bidding contest. Anyway, I tried. That's the best one can do! Here is some biographic information on the Artist: "Max Nonnenbruch was born in Viersen as the son of the land registry inspector Alwin Nonnenbruch and his wife Karoline, née Gössling. He spent his childhood and early school years in Mönchengladbach. From 1868 the family lived in Bonn, where he attended high school. Even as a teenager he developed the desire to become a painter. From autumn 1875 he studied for two semesters at the Düsseldorf Art Academy. On May 2nd 1877 he enrolled at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and studied under Wilhelm von Lindenschmit, among others, until 1879. He wrote the text for the picture cycle From the Four Seasons by Eduard Unger (1853-1894). The cycle and the texts were published in 1880 by Friedrich Bruckmann in Munich. From 1880 onwards he made several trips to Paris and Italy, including with his fellow students Arthur Langhammer, Hans Olde and Claus Meyer. He also travelled to Belgium and England. On Capri he met Gerhart Hauptmann and his brother Carl Hauptmann and in 1883 drew a caricature of the two brothers in the hotel's guest book. After completing his military service, he met Margarethe Anna Maria Freiin von Welck on Capri in 1894, whom he married on October 4, 1884 in Serkowitz and moved into a studio apartment with her at Landwehrstrasse 62 in Munich. Max Nonnenbruch became a member of the Economic Association of Fine Artists, chairman of the Munich Artists' Support Association, member of the General German Art Cooperative and the Munich Artists' Cooperative. In 1889 he was a board member of the Munich Artists' Cooperative, and from 1890 he was also deputy secretary. At the 1892 International Art Exhibition in the Munich Glass Palace, he was secretary of the exhibition committee, chairman of the prize draw committee, member of the catalogue and finance committee, and finally responsible for contact with the English participants in the annual exhibitions. In 1892 and 1893 he travelled to England for this reason. In 1893 he and his wife moved to Nymphenburger Strasse 43. For his services in organising the English section at the 1893 International Art Exhibition in the Glass Palace, he was awarded the Order of Merit of Saint Michael, 4th Class, by Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria. At the New Year's Festival in 1894 he was awarded the Order of Merit of Saint Michael, 3rd Class. In 1894 he visited England again, travelling via Paris, Bordeaux and Nice on the way back. He was also active in exhibition management in 1894 and 1895. In 1896 he wrote the article Modern Art and Robert Fowler for the magazine Die Kunst unserer Zeit. In 1899 he moved with his wife to Friedrichstrasse and in 1902 to the house he had purchased at Mandlstrasse 10 in the Schwabing district. In 1907 he was a member of the Comité Local D’Organisation of the 16th World Peace Congress in Munich. Max Nonnenbruch had two sons and a daughter with his wife Margarethe Anna Maria, née von Welck (* February 2nd 1856 in Liebau; † December 17th 1930). On November 6th 1887 their son Wilhelm Nonnenbruch was born in Munich and on November 11th 1893 their daughter Marie († 1973), also in Munich. In 1924 Marie Nonnenbruch gave a Female Head on Paper by Robert Fowler to the Heinemann Gallery on commission and received the work back a few months later. It could perhaps have been the study head from Max Nonnenbruch's article about Robert Fowler. Marie Nonnenbruch married the physicist Eduard Rüchardt (1888-1962) on April 7th 1925. Awards * 1893 Order of Merit of Saint Michael, 4th class, awarded by Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria for services in the exhibition management of the annual exhibition 1893 in the Royal Glass Palace in Munich * 1894 Order of Merit of Saint Michael, 3rd class, awarded at the New Year's Festival by Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria for services in the exhibition management of the annual exhibition 1893 in the Royal Glass Palace in Munich." Here is the work in question:

And here are just a few examples of his works:

Rudolf Marcuse (1878-1940) Sculptor - Male Nude - Young Athlete Fencer - 1907

Well folks, it has been one busy Hurricaine season here in Florida. First Helene came roaring through with me sitting here for four days without power. Fortunately the generator kicked in and kept me somewhat safe. Now I am sitting 150 miles north of another monster. The eye of that storm is sitting 40 miles off the coast of Tampa and is causing all sorts of havoc. This afternoon I was floating around eBay Germany when I spotted a beautiful male nude bronze of a young fencer and I thought I would share it with you. As you can see Rudolf Marcuse (1878-1940)certainly had a tallent for sculpting the human figure. Here's a brief biography from the usual source on line: Rudolf Marcuse (15 January 1878, Berlin – 3 April 1940, London) was a German sculptor of Jewish ancestry. Most of his works were relatively small, and many were designed for porcelain. He was the son of a merchant. His first professional lessons were at the Academy of Arts, Berlin, with the sculptor, Ernst Herter. In 1902, he was awarded a scholarship by the Board of Trustees. The following year, he was awarded the Michael Beer Prize for his "Judgement of Solomon". In 1909, he created one of his few large works, a memorial to the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn at the Jewish Boys' School. It was destroyed in 1941 by members of the Sturmabteilung (SA).[1] In 1910, he received the "Rome Prize" (modelled after the French Prix de Rome) from the Prussian Academy of Arts,[2] which enabled him to stay in the Villa Strohl-Fern. That same year, he won a gold medal at the Brussels International.[3] During this period, he designed numerous statuettes in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles, which were produced by the bronze caster, Hermann Gladenbeck [de].[4] He also designed porcelain figures for the Schwarzburg Porcelain Workshops [de], the Royal Porcelain Factory, Berlin, and the Rosenthal Manufactory.[5] During World War I, he visited several prisoner-of-war camps, where he created thirty-seven sculptures, depicting the various ethnic types and nationalities among the prisoners. These were meant to be placed in a proposed "Reichskriegsmuseum" (National War Museum), which was never completed.[6] In 1915, he apparently married a sculptor named Elisabeth Seligsohn, about whom very little is known. As late as 1930, he was receiving monetary awards from the Prussian Cultural Ministry [de]. This came to an abrupt end in 1933, when the National Socialist party came to power and began rejecting his applications due to his "Non-Aryan race". In 1936, thanks to his status as a "War Artist", he was allowed to emigrate to England. If Elisabeth was still alive, she did not go with him. In 1939, he may have married an Englishwoman named Alice. Neither marriage appears to be reliably documented. He died at his home in London, aged sixty-two.---------------

---------Here are just a few examples of his other works

Unknown Artist.... Late 19th Century. The Three Graces

Well, I can assure you that when you start fishing around in storage drawers you never know what will turn up. This small drawing was lurking in a drawer in my map case and I stumbled on it this morning. It is unsigned and the artist is unknown but it is from the late 19th century. The "Three Graces" has always been one of my favorite legends. The number of Graces (Charis) vary throughout the history of art and in ancient Greek literature there were alledged to be three: Aglaia (Brightness - Elegance), Euphrosyne (Joyfulness - Mirth), and Thalia (Bloom - Youth and Beauty). In ancient Rome they were known as the Gratiae. They were said to be the daughters of Zeus and Hera, Zeus and Eunomia, or Helios and Aegle, a daughter of Zeus. Take your pick. Their major role in mythology was to attend the other Olympians, particularily during feasts and dances. Art history is full of various renditions of the subject matter in every medium imaginable. It seems as though everybody and his uncle has their own interpretation of The Three Graces!

Karl Ludwig Nagel (1898-1959) Study of a Nude Youth Excercising

This small drawing came into my collection last year and was placed in a drawer until I rediscover it a few days ago.It is a small study of a nude youth excercising. Pencil on paper from 1916. The German painter Karl Ludwig Nagel was born in Mannheim in 1898 and worked, among others, in Weinheim an der Bergstrasse and later in Bonn am Rhein, where he died in 1959. Enjoy.

Ferdinando De Luca (Italian Artist - Late 19th - Early 20th Century) - Young Italian Scugnizzi - (Street Urchin) - with his Catch

This beautiful monumental bronze (measuring 34 innches in height) recently arrived into my collection from a Gallery in London, UK. The owner told me it was bought during a trip to Taormina, Sicily, Italy several years ago for his personal collection and now it was time to pass it along to a new owner. The bronze is of a young boy or scugnizzi (street urchin) holding his catch. It reminds me of the sculptures of Vincenzo Gemito, Ferdinando Vichi, and Annibale De lotto. De Luca was a classical artist known for producing sculptures of small bronze busts, depicting "street urchins", fishermen, classical figures. and commoners with realistic features. Unfortunately there is scant biographical information, including the dates of his birth and death, floating around but there are numerous examples of his other works. Enjoy!

Here are a few examples of his other works: