Description
Plate size: 8.3 X 5.9 inches. Signed in in pencil & annotated "18/125", printed on thin Japan paper, 12.5 X 10 inch sheet. Mint condition. Free shipping to US address. (337138 bx-63) Note: Born Chaim Aaron ben David in 1876, Hermann Struck grew up in Berlin as a practicing Orthodox Jew. in Germany he studied at the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts. in 1900, Struck met Josef Israels, who became his mentor. He was a member of the modern art movement the Berlin Secession & developed a reputation as a teacher in the graphic arts. Among his many students were Max Lieberman, Lovis Corinth, Marc Chagall, Jacob Steinhardt, & Joseph Budko. in 1908, Struck published "Die Kunst des Radierens" (The Art of the Etching), which was & would remain for some time a seminal work on the subject. Writing about the artist, the art historian Karl Schwarz said, "The art of etching was his special field of activity & expertise. It was in connection with this medium that he made his name, & his etchings mirror his whole career - a rich & varied life which was accompanied by success & recognition." Struck generally worked in two genres - portraits & landscapes. His sitters include the great scientists & thinkers of his time: Theodore Herzl, Henrik Ibsen, Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, & Oscar Wilde. Struck traveled extensively throughout his life & the landscape & his travels were a constant subject. He work spans New York City, Germany, London, Egypt, Palestine, & Venice. Struck was a German patriot who volunteered for military service in WWI & was awarded the Iron Cross. He was also a fervent Zionist & Jewish activist. Struck immigrated from Germany to Haifa in 1922 where he played a prominent & important role in the city's social & cultural life. Among his cultural contributions he was a founder of the Mizrachi Zionist movement, regularly participated in the annual Zionist Congress, taught at & help found the Bezalel Academy of Arts & Design, & helped to establish the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. When Struck immigrated to Israel he settled in a three-story house at 23 Arlosorov Street in Hadar Hacarmel, designed by his friend & renowned architect Alexander Baerwald. in 2013, after refurbishment & restoration, it is now open as a museum that illuminates all aspects of Struck's artistic & cultural life. Changing exhibitions focus on the art of the print which he helped develop & to which he dedicated his life. Nathan A. Bernstein is a descendant of Herman Struck. He has one of the largest privately owned collections of his work & is a leading expert on the subject. He serves on the Collection Committee of the Hermann Struck Museum. (source: Nathan Bernstein Art) References Hermann Struck | German, 1876-1944, "Dir Gelehrter", Ca. 1913, Original Etching, Pencil Signed
