Luigi Kasimir

'St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna', color etching pioneer, Metropolitan Museum

Circa 1925

Alois Heinrich “Luigi” Kasimir (Austrian, 1881-1962) was born on April 18, 1881 in Ptuj, Austria (today Slovenia) then a part of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. He may have inherited his talent from his ancestors; his grandfather was a painter and a poet, and his father, an officer in the Habsburg army, who later became a professional painter. Kasimir attended the Vienna Academy of Art where he studied under Willhelm Unger, who introduced him to the technique of the color etching, and also to his future wife, the artist Tanna Hoernes. Kasimir was among the early practitioners of the multi-plate color etching. Before this, prints were usually hand-colored with the color being applied in a casual, haphazard manner. Kasimir would first create a sketch—usually in pastel. He then transferred the design on as many as four to six plates, printing one after the other and applying the color to the plate - all done by hand. Although Luigi Kasimir is mainly famous for his etchings, but he also produced some oil painting, as well as some pastels. One of his favorite genres was the landscape. He demonstrated a predisposition for monuments, street scenes, and tourist landmarks. He depicted places from all over Europe, mainly Italy, Austria, and Germany. He also travelled to the United States to do a series of etchings of famous sights ranging from urban landmarks such as New York skyscrapers to natural wonders like California’s Yosemite Valley. Kasimir designed a bookplate for Sigmund Freud, who also hung an etching of the Roman Forum by Kasimir in his consulting room. Kasimir’s wife, Tanna and their son Robert worked in a similar style. Luigi Kasimir died in 1962 in Grinzing, a suburb of Vienna, Austria