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ALEXANDRE LANDRE - STRASBOURG
102
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Frédéric FIEBIG (1885–1953) The Great Tolstoy
Original woodc…
See original version (French)
102
-
Frédéric FIEBIG (1885–1953) The Great Tolstoy
Original woodc…
See original version (French)
Estimate €250 - €500
Voluntary lot
Description
Frédéric FIEBIG (1885–1953)
The Great Tolstoy
Original woodcut on paper, signed in the block top left, 1910.
H_31 cm W_21 cm
Bibliography: work reproduced in the book Frédéric Fiebig, his life and work, written by Mrs Kyra Kapsreiter-Homeyer
"Fiebig’s strength is particularly evident in the numerous portraits he engraved on wood and linoleum. These portraits undoubtedly prompted the Baroness de Rothschild to suggest to Fiebig in 1912 that he open a portrait studio. Various portraits of Madame Fiebig, as well as of a pianist from their circle of acquaintances, demonstrate how Fiebig was able, with a few vigorous cuts, to render striking representations of people with remarkable accuracy and expressiveness, and to bring out their characteristic features. The most admirable is that of the Russian writer Tolstoy, of which there are five different versions as well as numerous preliminary studies in pencil and charcoal.
In the most masterful of these engravings, the one commonly known as ‘The Great Tolstoy’ (fig. 35), the writer is depicted almost in full face, his head tilted slightly to the right. His beard, divided into two undulating masses, his hair and the broad planes of his face are carved as light, elongated, angular patches in the dark wood. Fiebig leaves only the outline of the face, framed by hair that extends over the hollowed cheeks, a deep wrinkle on the forehead, and the shadows that emphasise the eyes, nose and mouth.
One cannot help but agree with Abbé Breuil when he says of this portrait of Tolstoy: ‘I know of no other likeness of the great Russian that is so condensed, so admirable’.
Fiebig’s work does indeed have such an impact, such expressive power, that it has been compared to the works of the Expressionists, with reference in this regard to the woodcuts of Schmidt, Rottluff, Erich Heckel, Ludwig Kirchner and, in particular, Emil Nolde. [...]
In February 1913, Henri Breuil dedicated a long article to Fiebig on the occasion of his major solo exhibition at Bernheim-Jeune (December 1912), in which he praised Fiebig’s art and, in particular, his talent as an engraver, of which the portrait of Tolstoy is a perfect example. In it, he described Fiebig as an “unrivalled engraver” on the grounds that “he has found the perfect formula that captures life”. By this he was undoubtedly alluding to Fiebig’s gift for reducing the representation of a person or nature to its essence, and thus achieving the most intense expressiveness, such as, precisely, that which is the hallmark of the ‘Tolstoy’. Abbé Breuil singled out this portrait with these words: ‘...in my view, it perfectly sums up Fiebig’s art. Looking at it, you will find his paintings on display at Bernheim’.
In this article, Abbé Breuil also goes on to discuss Fiebig’s personal technique in his contemporary paintings of woodcuts: ‘... broad, bold, square or elongated brushstrokes, applied to everything, conveying the various aspects of nature with a spontaneous and formidable candour, although one senses that this style is the result of serious and thoughtful study."
- Kyra Kapsreiter-Homeyer, Frédéric Fiebig, his life and work.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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