Farewell to a good Friend - Scooter 1998-2012

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I held a dying friend in my arms on Friday and said good-bye. He was the kind of friend who didn't laugh at me when I went around all day with my stupid shirt on inside out. He didn't make snide comments when my socks were two different colors. He just had a big smile for me. He didn't mind when my clothes were mismatched and quite frankly he wouldn't have gone out the door looking like me. He just smiled. He was a big lump of sugar, a big lump of unconditional love for someone who has missed that mark on many an ocassion. When breakfast was not quite up to his specifications, he would pickup his empty bowl and toss it at me. Okay, I get the message. He was a good, strong Welshman, a dear friend, a true companion, and I will miss him terribly. Godspeed on your journey my friend.

Francois Alfred Delobbe (1835-1920): Standing Nude Ephebe (Standing Nude Boy)

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This morning I trudged down to the Post Office and picked up the Francois Alfred Delobbe (1835-1920) drawing which arrived from France on Saturday. I scanned the drawing in two pieces and stitched them together. You can see a lot more detail of the artist's drawing skills from a scan rather than a photograph with a camera. The unique thing about this small drawing is that the artist has listed the model's name and address at the top of the page. For the history books his name is: Louis Mardelle. The artist's studio stamp appears in the lower left hand corner (Atelier Alfred Delobbe). I love the heroic pose, so unlike the static department store mannaquin poses you see so often.

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Georg Jahn (1869-1940): Intaglio Print (Etching) Zwei Mannliche Akte mit Pferden am Flussufer

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The artist in his Studio, circa 1899 (above)

I found this beautiful example of Georg Jahn's "Two Male Nudes with Horses at the Riverside" on one of the European auction sites today. It really is breath taking in its execution and a prime example of Georg Jahn's (1869-1940) graphic works. Georg Jahn is a well known German painter and printmaker who was active at the end of the 19th century through his death in 1940. His works have been described as "lyrical realism" incarnate and I think that pretty much sums it up. Like many artists of the late 19th century, Jahn began his art career at an early age, age 14 to be exact, as a porcelain painter at the Royal Porcelain factory in Meissen. Earning a scholarship he was sent to the Art Academy in Dresden from 1888 to 1890 under Leon Pohle. From 1890 he studied at the Grand ducal Saxon School of Arts in Weimar under Max Thedy. Awards and medals followed him throughout his career.

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Here is just a small sampling of his over three hundred fifty known prints:

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Heinrich Susemihl (1862-?): Sitting Nude Boy - 1888

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Well, there's a little bit of good news and some bad news. I programmed snipping bids for four of the Susemihl drawings but only managed to come away with one of them (below). This small drawing of a nude ephebe sitting on a modeling stool will be coming into my collection soon. I really wanted several of the other male nudes but I missed out. This particular drawing is signed by the artist and dated November 1888. You win some and you lose some.

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Unknown Vienna Secessionist Artist: Standing Male Nude Circa 1880-1900

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This beautifully executed study in pencil appeared on one of the European eBay sites this morning. It is unsigned and undated but the seller attributes the drawing to an unknown Vienna Seccession artist and dates it to the 1880 to 1900 time period.

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Heinrich Susemihl (1862-?): Female Nude - Watercolor - 1905

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The German Seller has listed a third round of nude works by Heinrich Susemihl (1862-?) and among them was this nice female nude in watercolor on paper. He has put a outrageous price on it (my humble opinion) so in this economy I would not expect it to sell immediately, although there are folks out there with deep pockets. I thought I would list it separately since it really is unusual and rare. I have listed the other works in the previous post several posts back. I don't know about you, but I love a well executed watercolor.

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Eduard Stiefel (1875-1968): Male Nude In Landscape

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Aucktionshaus Hargesheimer & Gunter, Dusseldorf, DE has recently listed this fine figure study by the well listed Swiss artist Eduard Stiefel (1875-1968). He was a painter, Illustrator, and commercial artist. Unfortunately I could not find much in the way of biographic information other than he was initially trained as a lithographer at the Munich Academy and later taught at the School of Graphic Arts in Zurich. I just wonder if this could possibly be a self-portrait? The painting is described in the lot as "Herrenakt vor sommerlicher Seekulisse" (Male Nude Against a Summer Lakeside Panorama). The painting is signed and dated 1919. I am awed by the composition and the artist's color palette.

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Here is a small sampling of his works:

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