LIOBA Michel
It is still unknown who created these large and remarkable woodcuts. Was it the founder of the order of LIOBA, Hildegard Michaelis herself or a member by the name of Michel ? Half a dozen or so appeared regularly in auctions: Simiane in the Provence (2 versions exist) and Marseille harbour but also a Dutch harbour scene, a farmhouse in Drente and cranes in an African village exist.
They are large format monochrome prints, printed on heavy Japan paper.
Read all about my research, the founding of monasteries in Netherlands Egmond aan Zee, Simiane in France, Borsalino in Italy and the order of LIOBA by a daughter of Erfurt in the biographies.
A strong influence and connection to the prints by Richard Seewald (1889-1976) is suspected.
In the workshops arts and craft were performed and sold in the monastery shops in Egmond (NL.) and Simiane (Fr.) like this lavender oil container.
gerbrandcaspers@icloud.com
Hildegard Michaelis
Lioba Michel (?)
(Erfurt , Germany 1900 – 1982 Egmond aan zee, Netherlands)
German/Dutch catholic religious, nun.
Arts & crafts artist
painter, weaver, potter and printmaker.
LIOBA
Between 700 and 710 in Wessex, Lioba (or Leoba) was born, a distant cousin of Bonifatius (or Winfred) the Anglo-Saxon missionary and later first archbishop of Mainz.
He was born between 672-675 and died a martyr killed near where I live in the Frisian town of Dokkum. On june 5th of the year 754. Condensing their story in a nutshell: Lioba travelled in the company of her uncle preaching simple and religious life for women: praying, studying and working arts and crafts. She was later buried in the same grave as her uncle in Fuldau Germany. She died September 28th of the year 782 and was a close friend to the royalty and in particular to Hildegard, wife of Charlemagne, the great King of the Franks.
Hildegard (!) Michaelis was the artistic daughter of a flower merchant born Erfurt (not far from Fulda and also the seat of a monastery founded by Bonifatius). Her mother died when she was 13 and in 1917 she lost her brother in WWI. Although her father wanted her not to study art, when she was 24 started as a student in Hamburg Art Institute and later in the Bauhaus School movement (1919-1932) in Weimar.
Because of her remarkable skills at the loom she was invited to weave a new robe for Pope Pius XII (1876-1958).
Full of religious motivation and equipped with a thorough education in the Arts and Crafts and probably with aversion for the Nazis she founded an order and a monastery in Egmond aan Zee (Netherlands) in 1935 changing her nationality to Dutch.
The monastery is still very much alive now. Besides the base of the Dutch order Hildegard started satellite monasteries in Switzerland (Orsalina, Locarno) and in Simiane (roughly between Marseille and Aix en Provence) also relying on the making and selling of Arts and Crafts articles, on faith and study.
Richard Seewald
In 1931 converted to Catholicism (in 1929) expressionist painter and printmaker Richard Seewald (1889-1976) fled Nazi Germany to live in Swiss Ronco sopra Ascona.
Before he lived and taught in painting classes of the “Kölner Werkschulen” in Cologne in the first “ Bauhuas” designed and build villa archtitect by Theodor E. Merrill (1891-1978).
In Italy in the Ascona-Locarno region Seewald, like Michaelis designed many church windows and other church related art. After his death he left in a bequest a large chunk of his art collection to the Swiss state as a thank you. In 1954 he returned to Germany and was appointed professor in Münich.
Now, coming to a preliminary conclusion and some possible explanations about these woodblock prints. I’m convinced both artist knew (about) each other. Besides strong religion and conviction they may have shared the Bauhaus or Hamburg school and/or church related assignments in Italy. Besides: Ronco is just a two miles from St. Hildegardis monastery in Orsalina.
Because of the similarities (I see) in the prints by Seewald and Lioba Michel either Seewald taught Hildegard (or a “brother in the congregation called Michel”) or Seewald created the prints (or the blocks) for commercial reasons, donating and helping raising funds for Hildegards and her monastic ideals. Maybe they even worked together.
The white line print undoubtedly was created by Hildegard herself comparing it to her paintings. Whiteline printing originated in America in 1915 in the Provincetown artist colony.
Any information or comments are very welcome.
Else Günther-Falck ( ? - 11-09-1941 Rival, Estonia.
Printmaker and probably arts & crafts artist. Known by a single colour woodblock print of 4 towers perhaps the Kremlin in Moscow or Leningrad cathedral using a monogram EGF. She is mentioned in an Estonian newspaper article (27-02-1937) as winning a first prize describing (a design for) a woven table cloth in the “Glasgow-Talinn Department”.
Possibly the daughter of Hans and Olli Falck in Posen and married to Viktor Günther in Posen. Newspaper announcement “Posen: Am 11-09 1941 verschied in großer Einsamkeit” (died in great solitude). Else Günther-Falck probably was a Jewish artist. The Rahumäe (Mount Peace) cemetery has a Jewish section for the murdered Jewish people. Buried 15-09-1941 in Rahumäe cemetery in Tallinn Estonia)
Her father probably perished in the Lodz (Litzmannstadt) Ghetto.
Helene Ladstätter (1892 - 1970 Vienna)
Austrian printmaker. Although her identity (family) is still a mystery she is mentioned in an article in “the Studio Magazine” 1924, Vol. 87, page 136-137. Here she is mentioned (and praised) as “Miss H. Ladstätter”. In the article were also mentioned Dr. Emma Bormann (1887-1974) and a print entitled “Dorfstrasse”. She exhibited in 1939 together with printmakers William Giles (1872-1939), Yoshijiro Urushibara (1888-1953), Engelbert Lap (1886-1970) and others at Colnaghi Art Gallery in Bondstreet London. This firm in the 1920-30s had strong connections with the art business in America possibly explaining her prints surfacing in America. She is known by 4 (alpine) woodblock prints sold/auctioned in recent years in America and England.
She was probably a member of the “Verein für Bildende Künstlerinnen Österreichs” (VBKÖ) because in 1970 her obituary is kept in its archives
Exhibited 1947 in the Große Östereichische Kunstausstellung with (a.o.) Valerie Praschniker and Elfriede Miller-Hauenfels.
Dear print lover, passing-by visitor and reader:
While this new gallery-museum site is under construction (being build-up, stocked and arranged) priority must be given to first add all the represented artists in the index with works from the collection and if possible with the examples from the archives.
During construction the site is open to visitors, questions, feedback and suggestions.
Gerrie
gerbrandcaspers@icloud.com
