Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 6

Hans Richard von Volkmann
Clay jug on a bench - The essence of the clay jar revealed by the sunlight -

1890

About the Item

Hans Richard von Volkmann (1860 Halle (Saale) - 1927 ibid.), Clay jug on a bench. Pencil and Watercolour on paper. 20 x 26,7 cm (visible size), 37 x 45 cm (frame), dated and monogrammed lower left "Februar 1890 - HR. V. V." - Minimally tanned. Framed behind glass in a passepartout. About the artwork Using the technique of his early youth - pencil and watercolour - Hans Richard von Volkmann depicts a still life. However, this is not a conventional indoor still life, but an open-air depiction, painted outdoors and not in the studio. It is therefore an open-air painting, characteristic of von Volkmann's oeuvre, which could have been painted in the Willingshausen colony of painters, where open-air painting was programmatically practised there and the artist stayed there that year. And indeed, this painting is a manifesto of open-air painting. Von Volkmann demonstrates that leaving the studio for the light of nature leads to an entirely new quality of art. To prove this, he uses the genre of still life, which can be described as the studio subject par excellence. Moreover, light plays an essential role in the classical still life. It is the real protagonist of the still life. And it is precisely this moment, essential to the still life, that von Volkmann exploits to demonstrate the potential of plein-air painting: He presents the objects as they appear in the sunlight. The date of February and the bare branches in the foreground make it clear that this is a clear winter day in bright sunlight. The delicate plant in the foreground casts a clearly defined shadow, as does the jug. However, the shadow is most pronounced on the jug itself: The underside of the handle appears almost black, making the top, and therefore the jug itself, shine all the more brightly. The shining of the objects in the sunlight is also visible on the bench. As complementary phenomena to the shadow zones, light edges can be seen on the boards of the seats and the upper foot of the bench shines entirely in the light. To achieve this intensity of light, von Volkmann activated the bright white of the painting ground. By depicting the objects in glistening sunlight, von Volkmann demonstrates that this quality of light is only to be found outdoors. And this light leads to a new way of looking at the objects themselves. The jug on the bench seems like an accidental arrangement, as if the artist had stumbled upon this unintentional still life and captured it with fascination. And in this fascination there is a moment of realisation that refers to the objects themselves. It is only when they shine brightly in the sunlight that their true nature is revealed. In this way, sunlight allows the objects to come into their own, so to speak. Sunlight, which is not present in the studio, gives the still life an entirely new dimension of reality, which is also reflected in the colours interwoven by the sunlight: The bench and the jug stand in a harmonious grey-pink contrast to the green of the implied meadow. The emphasis on the jug as the central subject of the picture also implies that the watercolour has not been completed. This non finito inscribes a processuality into the picture, making it clear that something processual has been depicted, the temporality of which has been made artistically permanent. This is why von Volkmann signed the painting and dated it to the month. About the Artist Von Volkmann made his first artistic attempts at the age of 14. He painted many watercolours of his home town of Halle. This laid the foundation for his later outdoor painting. In 1880 his autodidactic beginnings were professionalised with his admission to the Düsseldorf Art Academy. There he studied under Hugo Crola, Heinrich Lauenstein, Johann Peter Theodor Janssen and Eduard von Gebhardt until 1888. Von Volkmann then moved to the Karlsruhe Academy, where he was Gustav Schönleber's master pupil until 1892. In 1883 he came for the first time to Willingshausen, Germany's oldest painters' colony, at the suggestion of his student friend Adolf Lins. He was to return to Willingshausen again and again over the next 25 years, even living there for a time to devote himself entirely to open-air painting. Von Volkmann soon became a much sought-after landscape painter, and his works found their way into German museums. He became a professor in 1902 and a member of the board of the Deutscher Künstlerbund from 1906. Through his father, Richard von Volkmann, he also had an affinity for book illustration. Under the pseudonym Richard Leander, his father had published 'Träumereien an französischen Kaminen' (Dreams at French Chimneys), first published in 1871, which his son illustrated, among many other works. "Over the years, he enriched his realist and naturalist means of artistic expression with influences from Art Nouveau and other modern trends, and was able to transform objective observations of nature into subjective atmospheric images". - Heinz Bischof Selection of exhibitions 1928 - Gedächtnisausstellung mit dem Frühwerk Hans von Volkmanns, Halle a. S. 2021 - Hans Richard von Volkmann. Landschaften, Kunsthalle in Willingshausen. Selected Bibliography Dorit Litt: Das künstlerische Schaffen des Landschaftsmalers Hans Richard von Volkmann, 1860 - 1927, Bonn 1996. Bernd Küster: Hans von Volkmann, Bremen 1998. Thank you for your interest! I hope I have been able to explain to you the special character of the artwork. If you have any questions of any kind, please feel free to contact me. I wish you many more discoveries in the realm of art, Dr Martin Kirves GERMAN VERSION Hans Richard von Volkmann (1860 Halle (Saale) – 1927 ebd.), Tonkrug auf einer Bank im Sonnenlicht. Bleistift und Aquarell auf Papier, 20 x 26,7 cm (Sichtmaß), 37 x 45 cm (Rahmen), Datiert und monogrammiert unten links „Februar 1890 - HR. V. V.“ - Minimal nachgedunkelt. Hinter Glas im Passepartout gerahmt. Exposé als PDF zum Werk In der Technik seiner frühesten Jugendzeit – Bleistift und Aquarell – veranschaulicht Hans Richard von Volkmann ein Stillleben. Es ist aber kein herkömmliches Stillleben in einem Innenraum, sondern eine in der freien Natur angesiedelte Darstellung, die zudem im Freien und nicht im Atelier entstanden ist. Es handelt sich also um eine für von Volkmanns Oeuvre charakteristische Freilichtmalerei, die in der Malerkolonie Willingshausen geschaffen worden sein könnte, da die Freilichtmalerei dort programmatisch betrieben wurde und sich der Künstler in diesem Jahr dort aufgehalten hat. Und tatsächlich steht mit diesem Bild ein Manifest der Freilichtmalerei vor Augen. Von Volkmann demonstriert, dass der Gang aus dem Atelier ins Licht der Natur zu einer ganz neuen Qualität der Kunst führt. Um diesen bildlichen Beweis anzutreten, stellt er den Bezug zum Genre des Stilllebens her, das als Ateliersujet schlechthin bezeichnet werden kann. Zudem spielt beim Stillleben klassischer Art das Licht eine ganz wesentliche Rolle. Es ist der eigentliche Akteur des Stilllebens. Und gerade diesen für das Stillleben wesentlichen Moment arbeitet von Volkmann heraus, um das Potenzial der Freilichtmalerei aufzuzeigen: Er präsentiert die Gegenstände, wie sie sich im Sonnenlicht darbieten. Die Datierung auf den Februar und die kahlen Äste im Vordergrund verdeutlichen, dass es sich um einen klaren Wintertag im strahlenden Sonnenlicht handelt. Das zierliche Gewächs im Vordergrund wirft ebenso wie der Krug einen klar konturierten Schlagschatten. Am deutlichsten ist der Schattenwurf aber am Krug selbst ausgeprägt: Die Unterseite des Henkels mutet beinahe Schwarz an, wodurch die Oberseite und mit ihr der Krug selbst umso heller aufstrahlt. Das Aufstrahlen der Gegenstände im Sonnenlicht wird auch bei der Bank sichtbar. Als Komplementärphänomene zu den Schattenzonen sind an den Brettern der Sitzflächen Lichtkanten zu sehen und der obere Fuß der Bank strahlt gänzlich im Licht auf. Für diese Lichtintensität aktiviert von Volkmann das helle Weiß des Malgrundes. Durch die Darstellung der Gegenstände im gleißenden Sonnenlicht führt von Volkmann bildnerisch vor, dass eben diese Lichtqualität nur im Freien präsent ist. Und dieses Licht führt zu einer neuen Sicht auf die Gegenstände selbst. Der Krug auf der Bank wirkt wie ein zufälliges Arrangement, als ob der Künstler des Weges kam, diesem nicht intendierten Stillleben ansichtig wurde und es voller Faszination festhielt. Und dieser Faszination wohnt ein Erkenntnismoment inne, der sich auf die Gegenstände selbst bezieht. Erst ihr helles Aufstrahlen im Sonnenlicht offenbart ihr eigentliches So-Sein. Damit lässt das Sonnenlicht die Gegenstände gewissermaßen zu sich selbst kommen. Durch das im Atelier nicht gegebene Sonnenlicht erhält das Stillleben folglich eine ganz neue Realitätsdimension, die sich auch in den vom Sonnenlicht durchwirkten Farben niederschlägt: Die Bank und der Krug stehen in einem harmonischen Grau-Rosa-Kontrast zueinander, der vom Grün der angedeuteten Wiese hinterfangen wird. Zur Hervorhebung des Kruges als zentralem Bildgegenstand gehört auch, dass das Aquarell nicht vollständig ausgeführt worden ist. Dieses non finito schreibt dem Bild eine Prozessualität ein, die verdeutlicht, dass etwas Prozesshaftes dargestellt worden ist, dessen Temporalität künstlerisch auf Dauer gestellt wurde. Daher hat von Volkmann das Bild signiert und auf den Monat genau datiert. zum Künstler Bereits als 14jähriger unternahm von Volkmann erste künstlerische Versuche. In einer Vielzahl von Aquarellen stellte er seine Hallenser Heimat dar. Dies legte die Grundlage für seine spätere Freilichtmalerei. 1880 wurden die autodidaktischen Anfänge mit der Aufnahme in die Düsseldorfer Kunstakademie professionalisiert. Dort studierte er bis 1888 bei Hugo Crola, Heinrich Lauenstein, Johann Peter Theodor Janssen und Eduard von Gebhardt. Anschließend wechselte von Volkmann an die Akademie Karlsruhe, um dort bis 1892 Meisterschüler von Gustav Schönleber zu werden. 1883 kam er auf Anregung seines Studienfreundes Adolf Lins erstmals nach Willingshausen, der ältesten Malerkolonie Deutschlands. Über 25 Jahre hinweg sollte er immer wieder dorthin zurückkehren und zeitwiese auch dort wohnen, um sich ganz der Freilichtmalerei zu widmen. Schnell wurde von Volkmann zum gefragten Landschaftsmaler, der Einzug in die deutschen Museen hielt. 1902 wurde er Professor und ab 1906 war er Vorstandsmitglied des Deutschen Künstlerbundes. Durch seinen Vater, Richard von Volkmann, hatte er zudem eine Affinität zur Buchillustration. Unter dem Pseudonym Richard Leander hatte der Vater die vielfach aufgelegten, erstmals 1871 erschienenen „Träumereien an französischen Kaminen“ veröffentlicht, die sein Sohn – unter einer Vielzahl anderer Werke – illustrierte. „Seine am Realismus und Naturalismus geschulten künstlerischen Ausdrucksmittel bereicherte er im Lauf der Jahre durch Einflüsse des Jugendstils sowie anderer moderner Tendenzen und verstand es, objektive Naturbeobachtung in subjektive Stimmungsbilder zu überführen.“ - Heinz Bischof Auswahl an Einzelausstellungen 1928 - Gedächtnisausstellung mit dem Frühwerk Hans von Volkmanns, Halle a. S. 2021 - Hans Richard von Volkmann. Landschaften, Kunsthalle in Willingshausen Auswahlbibliographie Dorit Litt: Das künstlerische Schaffen des Landschaftsmalers Hans Richard von Volkmann, 1860 - 1927, Bonn 1996. Bernd Küster: Hans von Volkmann, Bremen 1998. Vielen Dank für Ihr Interesse! Ich hoffe, ich habe Ihnen den besonderen Charakter des Kunstwerks näherbringen können. Bei Fragen jeglicher Art können Sie mich gerne kontaktieren. Ich wünsche Ihnen noch viele Entdeckungen im Reich der Kunst, Dr. Martin Kirves
  • Creator:
    Hans Richard von Volkmann (1860 - 1927, German)
  • Creation Year:
    1890
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 7.88 in (20 cm)Width: 10.52 in (26.7 cm)
  • Medium:
    Watercolor
  • Movement & Style:
    Naturalistic
  • Period:
    1890-1899
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Berlin, DE
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2438212305762
More From This SellerView All
  • Plant Impression in Locarno - Floral Crescendo -
    Located in Berlin, DE
    Alexander Frenz (1861 Rheydt - 1941 Düsseldorf). Plant impression in Locarno. Gouache and watercolour. 35 x 23,5 cm (visible size), 49,5 x 38,5 cm (fra...
    Category

    1890s Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Watercolor

    Plant Impression in Locarno - Floral Crescendo -

    Alexander Frenz
    Plant Impression in Locarno - Floral Crescendo -, 1895

  • Norwegian Pine Grove - The inner glow of the trees -
    Located in Berlin, DE
    Themistokles von Eckenbrecher (1842 Athens - 1921 Goslar), Norwegian pine grove, 1901. Watercolor on blue-green paper, 30 x 22 cm. Signed, dated and inscribed in his own hand "TvE. Fagermes [i.e. Fagermes]. 26.6.[19]01." - Slight crease throughout at left margin, otherwise in good condition. About the artwork Themistokles von Eckenbrecher often traveled to Norway to study the nature that fascinated him there. On June 26, 1901, near the southern Norwegian town of Fagernes, in the summer evening sun, he saw a small pine grove, which he immediately captured in a watercolor. He exposed the trees growing on a small hill in front of the background, so that the pines completely define the picture and combine to form a tense motif. The tension comes from the contrast of form and color. The trunks, growing upward, form a vertical structure that is horizontally penetrated by the spreading branches and the pine needles, which are rendered as a plane. This structural tension is further intensified by the color contrast between the brown-reddish iridescent trunks and branches and the green-toned needlework. Themistokles von Eckenbrecher, however, does not use the observed natural scene as an inspiring model for a dance of color and form that detaches itself from the motif and thus treads the path of abstracting modernism. Its inner vitality is to be brought to light and made aesthetically accessible through the work of art. It is precisely in order to depict the inner vitality of nature that von Eckenbrecher chooses the technique of watercolor, in which the individual details, such as the needles, are not meticulously worked out, but rather a flowing movement is created that unites the contrasts. The trees seem to have formed the twisted trunks out of their own inner strength as they grew, creatingthose tense lineations that the artist has put into the picture. The inner strength continues in the branches and twigs, culminating in the upward growth of the needles. At the same time, the trunks, illuminated by the setting sun, seem to glow from within, adding an almost dramatic dimension to the growing movement. Through the artwork, nature itself is revealed as art. In order to make nature visible as art in the work, von Eckenbrecher exposes the group of trees so that they are bounded from the outside by an all-encompassing contour line and merge into an areal unity that enters into a figure-ground relationship with the blue-greenish watercolor paper. The figure-ground relationship emphasizes the ornamental quality of the natural work of art, which further enforces the artwork character of the group of trees. With the presentation of Themistokles von Eckenbrecher's artistic idea and its realization, it has become clear that the present watercolor is not a study of nature in the sense of a visual note by the artist, which might then be integrated into a larger work context, but a completely independent work of art. This is why von Eckenbrecher signed the watercolor. In addition, it is marked with a place and a date, which confirms that this work of nature presented itself to him in exactly this way at this place at this time. At the same time, the date and place make it clear that the natural work of art has been transferred into the sphere of art and thus removed from the time of the place of nature. About the artist Themistocles' parents instilled a life of travel in their son, who is said to have spoken eleven languages. His father, who was interested in ancient and oriental culture, was a doctor and had married Francesca Magdalena Danelon, an Italian, daughter of the British consul in Trieste. During a stay in Athens - Gustav von Eckenbrecher was a friend of Heinrich von Schliemann and is said to have given him crucial clues as to the location of Troy - Themistokles saw the light of day in 1842. After an interlude in Berlin, where Themistokles was educated at the English-American School, the journey began again. From 1850 to 1857 the family lived in Constantinople, after which the father opened a practice in Potsdam, where Themistokles, who wanted to become a painter, was taught by the court painter Carl Gustav Wegener. In 1861 the von Eckenbrechers left Potsdam and settled in Düsseldorf. There Themistokles received two years of private tuition from Oswald Aschenbach, who greatly admired the talented young artist. After his artistic training, he undertook extensive travels, often accompanied by Prince Peter zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, which took him to northern and eastern Europe, but above all to the Middle East and even to South America. The paintings that resulted from these journeys established his artistic reputation and led to his participation in large panoramas such as the 118 x 15 metre Entry of the Mecca Caravan into Cairo, painted for the City of Hamburg in 1882. 1882 was also the start of a total of 21 study trips to Scandinavia, most of them to Norway, and the unique Norwegian landscape with its rugged fjords became a central motif in his work. Along with Anders Askevold and Adelsteen Normann...
    Category

    Early 1900s Naturalistic Landscape Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Watercolor

    Norwegian Pine Grove - The inner glow of the trees -

    Themistokles von Eckenbrecher
    Norwegian Pine Grove - The inner glow of the trees -, 1901

  • Still life with fish bones, pencil and pencil sharpener
    Located in Berlin, DE
    Manfred K. Schwitteck (*1948), Still life with fish bones, pencil and pencil sharpener, 1992. watercolor over pencil on handmade paper, 31.5 x 45 cm (visible size), 47 x 61 cm (frame...
    Category

    1990s Surrealist Still-life Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Watercolor, Pencil

    Still life with fish bones, pencil and pencil sharpener

    Manfred K. Schwitteck
    Still life with fish bones, pencil and pencil sharpener, 1992

  • Still life with fish bones and champagne corks / - Behind still life -
    Located in Berlin, DE
    Manfred K. Schwitteck (*1948), Still life with fish bones and champagne corks, 1992. watercolor over pencil on handmade paper, 31.5 x 45 cm (visible size), 47 x 61 cm (frame), signed...
    Category

    1990s Surrealist Still-life Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Watercolor, Etching

    Still life with fish bones and champagne corks / - Behind still life -

    Manfred K. Schwitteck
    Still life with fish bones and champagne corks / - Behind still life -, 1992

  • In the forest of Durlach - Quiet ripple in a secret place -
    Located in Berlin, DE
    Franz Xaver Graessel (1861 Oberasbach/Baden - 1948 Emmering). In the forest of Durlach. 1881. Pencil drawing, heightened with white, on grey-green paper. 33 x 41.7 cm. Signed, dated and inscribed by the artist himself: 'Franz Graessel. Durlach, 12 April 1881". About the artwork The drawing depicts a view of the woods which, as if sharpening the visual focus, remains diffuse at the edges and does not allow the viewer to locate himself in the picture. As a result, the landscape appears to be an apparition, but at the same time it is given real substance by the solidity of the massive arched bridge made of quarry stone. As the main motif of the painting, the bridge, which blends in with nature like an archaic relic, also acts as a visual guide, drawing attention to the white, raised waters of the stream and the surrounding vegetation. The diffusion of perception that takes place there, however, draws the eye back to the bridge and thus to the overall view. This movement initiating a constant alternation of diffusion and concretion, which is the specific tension of the painting that brings the landscape to life. The materialisation and dematerialisation, however, does not take place solely through the eye's wandering through the picture; it is simultaneously linked to the viewer's approach to and distance from the picture, which loses its richness of detail precisely in the close-up, only to reconfigure itself with increasing distance. In this work, which dates from Graessel's studies in Karlsruhe, the artist reflects on the emergence of pictorial objectivity. Here, however, nature is more than a mere motif. The real connection between culture and nature is symbolically expressed by the choice of green paper. The drawing is an impressive testimony to Graessel's mastery of the sprezzatura with which he skilfully applies the most abstract of strokes, which visibly merge towards the centre of the picture. The signature and the exact date prove that Graessel gave this work more than the character of a mere sketch. About the artist Franz Graessel grew up in an environment that was to nourish his later key motifs: his parents' house was a mill. After attending the Karlsruhe Academy of Art from 1878 to 1884, where he studied under Carl Hoff, Graessel continued his training at the Munich Academy from 1886 to 1890 as a pupil of Wilhelm von Lindenschmidt. Trained primarily in genre and portrait painting, he initially portrayed the life of Black Forest farmers. From 1894 he turned increasingly to animal painting, concentrating on the depiction of ducks and geese, which earned him the nickname 'Enten-Graessel'. Graessel's work thus parallels that of Alexander Koester...
    Category

    1880s Naturalistic Landscape Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Paper, Chalk, Pencil

    In the forest of Durlach - Quiet ripple in a secret place -

    Franz Xaver Gräßel
    In the forest of Durlach - Quiet ripple in a secret place -, 1881

    Free Shipping
  • Study with Torso, Hands, and Umbrella - The characteristic of the inconspicuous
    Located in Berlin, DE
    Paul Friedrich Meyerheim (1842 Berlin - 1915 ibid.). Sketch of a female torso with hands and an umbrella. Pencil on paper, 27.5 x 22.5 cm (visible size)...
    Category

    1890s Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Pencil

    Study with Torso, Hands, and Umbrella - The characteristic of the inconspicuous

    Paul Meyerheim
    Study with Torso, Hands, and Umbrella - The characteristic of the inconspicuous , c. 1890

You May Also Like

Recently Viewed

View All

More Ways To Browse

Art Nouveau Outdoor Light
V Day Bench
Adolf Lins
Cast Jugs
View All Popular Still-life Drawings and Watercolors Searches