Franz Hein (1863-1927) - Early 20th Century Woodcut Waldruine

Description

A striking and graphic woodcut entitled "Waldruine," translated from German to "Forest Ruin." The scene shows a rocky forest with a mysterious ruin looming above the trees, casting dappled shadows and the stones below. The artist has signed in plate to the lower right corner and the print has been presented in a contemporary frame with glazing and mount.  On wove.

Condition

There are several tears to the edges of the print, the largest being at the top left edge, with a loss in the same area, and the other tear being at the lower right edge with another smaller loss. The mount and frame have some dirtying and scuffing.

Size

38.4 x 26.7cm (15.1" x 10.5")
Framed Size: 52.6 x 42.5cm (20.7" x 16.7")

Artist Biography

Franz Hein attended a private school in Hamburg to learn a trade. But on the advice of a doctor, who recognized his artistic ability, and with the support of his mother, he went to the trade school to learn a handicraft. After completing an apprenticeship as a theater painter, he studied at the Karlsruhe Academy of Artists from 1882 . Hein began in the plaster or antique class under Professor Theodor Poeckh (1839-1921), continued in the nature class under Ernst Schurth (1848-1910), an assistant teacher from Poeckh. The conclusion, interrupted by a five-week study visit to Paris, was the painting class under Professor Ferdinand Keller (1842–1922).
The artist worked as a pub, church and fairytale painter (as he called himself), taught from 1890 to 1905 at the Karlsruhe art school and took private commissions, which he often painted as watercolors .
In 1890 he joined the Grötzinger painters' colony , which also included Gustav Kampmann , Karl Biese , Jenny and Otto Fikentscher , Margarethe Hormuth-Kallmorgen and Friedrich Kallmorgen .
Until 1905 he lived with his wife, the Kampmann and Fikentscher couple on the Grötzinger Augustenburg , where their two sons, Franz Hein junior. (1892–1976) and Johannes Hein (1893–1914) were born.
Franz Hein refused an offer to Berlin, whereupon he was appointed professor by the Karlsruhe Art School. In 1905 he accepted an offer from Leipzig to teach graphics and the book trade and lived there until his death on October 21, 1927.
In 1959, Heinstrasse in Grötzingen was named after him.