Tuesday 6 March 2018

Unidentified artist: Lohe in Schleswig ?

Please read next posting for finding the location of the "Alte Kirche" print.

After recently finding another example by this printmaker in the Internet I decided to launch a renewed effort trying to solve this old problem and mystery. 

Years ago I found this Maya the Bee ("Biene Maja") print with "unleserliche" (illegible) signature. Maybe Martin Erich Philipp (1887-1978) gave him/her the inspiration for this print.   




Since then, I saw a several others with the same signature which I to this day was never able to read properly or decipher. 


These prints are maybe not considered belonging to the highest regions of sophistication and artistic printmaking and probably are best described as "decorational". But they definitely have a certain charm and were never expensive. The flower prints are very reminding of Detmold printmaker Ernst Rötteken (1882-1945) (right) who's mission in life it was to provide Detmold households with "approved" yet affordable Art.   


But now this "Lohe, alte Kirche" surfaced. Assuming this print is not a phantasy composition it may hold a new clue to finally revealing the identity of this printmaker. Although the church, situated at the end (or beginning) of a small village street ("Dorfstrasse") is quite characteristic I have not been able, roaming the Internet for Schleswig church towers, to pin-point its location yet. 



Since the print surfaced in Cuxhaven, North of Hamburg and the bee print was found near Kiel (with 12 years in between) not far away but on the other side of river Elbe this could be a clue to a northern (possibly Schleswig-Holstein) artist. 
I have not been able to find a possible "candidate" (surname starting with a C. ?) in either "Lexicon Schleswig-Holstein Künstlerinnen" (Ulrike Wolff-Thomson) nor in "der Neue Rump" (Hamburg artists) (Maike Bruhns) both considered sources of importance and "weight".  


"Lohe" could point to a village in Schleswig-Holstein (near Kiel), but the church "does not fit". Maybe with the help of readers who are known locally it is now possible to finally identify this mystery printmaker.





Left: unidentified printmaker -Right: Ernst Rötteken (1882-1945)



Gentian (Enzian): Martin Erich Philipp

(All pictures from my personal collection). 

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