tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post5145607777297302850..comments2024-03-18T07:23:32.809-04:00Comments on Gurney Journey: Menzel: Beyond AppearancesJames Gurneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01870848001990898499noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-272293041375589162009-10-02T21:15:02.187-04:002009-10-02T21:15:02.187-04:00James,
Thumbing through your blog, I just came ac...James,<br /><br />Thumbing through your blog, I just came across this posting. Thanks for sharing something about Menzel. His work was kind of lost to the west after WWI and the growing popularity of the modern movements in art. Degas was a huge admirer of his.<br /><br />I had the great opportunity to see the Menzel Show "Between Romanticism and Impressionism" at the National Gallery of art in Washington DC in the mid-90s. What a fantastic show!! I had no idea who Menzel was, however after leaving that show, I was hooked.<br /><br />What a dedicated artist. He didn't let anything go by without remarking about it in some way with his art. Everything from quiet interior scenes to paintings and drawings of dead soldiers on the war front. One of his quotes is, "Not a day without a line." I believe he held himself to that.<br /><br />To answer Jason Peck's question about how many sketchbooks Menzel filled. He filled tons! He had a specially tailored coat with pockets sewn into it to hold several sketchbooks of varying sizes.<br /><br />I have both "Adolph Menzel, 1815-1905: Between Romanticism and Impressionism" by Claude Keisch and Marie-Ursula Riemann-Reyher and "Menzel's Realism: Art and Embodiment in Nineteenth-Century Berlin" by Michael Fried. Both are excellent books about Menzel.<br /><br />Thanks James,<br />Gene Snyder<br />www.snyderart.comGene Snyderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11053341689191983550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-19804011011803209912009-05-26T17:02:02.330-04:002009-05-26T17:02:02.330-04:00Thank-you James for sharing the art of Menzel.
Mi...Thank-you James for sharing the art of Menzel.<br /><br />Michael WarthAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07659574213958909377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-76331074313460945052009-05-26T16:25:01.249-04:002009-05-26T16:25:01.249-04:00Kunst Komment,I guess I got the idea of him being ...Kunst Komment,I guess I got the idea of him being married from the Book Adolph Menzel between Romanticicsm and impressionism. There are a lot of family drawings but they are of his sister and brother, I just assumed in my memory that they were his childern.Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04641223414745777056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-42983625030838020102009-05-25T12:44:56.996-04:002009-05-25T12:44:56.996-04:00Really interesting and beautiful drawings and pain...Really interesting and beautiful drawings and paintings; I love the quote cited by Hank.Jean Spitzerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13520415864511680025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-32390187304515614472009-05-24T11:38:52.983-04:002009-05-24T11:38:52.983-04:00Kupferstich is probably Copper plate etching...Kupferstich is probably Copper plate etching...Erik Bongershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02409523352634066030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-28443517306092268262009-05-24T09:20:31.675-04:002009-05-24T09:20:31.675-04:00Well, I can't say much about wether he's loved in ...Well, I can't say much about wether he's loved in Germany generally. But I myself really adore his work. I remember a visit at my teachers (Kunstprofessors) home. He owned two original drawings by Menzel - they hang at a wall next to a small original Kupferstich (sorry, don't know the english expression) by Rembrandt. That was a hint: Menzel is one of the really big guys! ;)<br /><br />I think, Menzel is quite well known in Germany, at least to people, who know something about art. Especially his paintings "Flötenkonzert Friedrichs des Großen in Sanssoucie"<br /><br />http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Adolf_Friedrich_Erdmann_von_Menzel_023.jpg<br /><br />and<br /><br />"Das Eisenwalzwerk"<br /><br />http://www.buergertum.com/images/Menzel_bilder/Walzwerk.jpg<br /><br />are famous, of course not only because of their quality, but also because of their sujets.<br /><br />Menzel's reputation would maybe a little higher, if there wouldn't be the german Impressionists like Max Liebermann (also a Berliner), who kind of steal some of the attention, that should focus on him. ;)<br /><br />p.s.: excuse my poor English, please!Hankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06231807080572140898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-15374975098240313202009-05-24T07:37:43.238-04:002009-05-24T07:37:43.238-04:00Thanks, Hank! I ran across that quote before but n...Thanks, Hank! I ran across that quote before but never really understood it until I read your translation. Another quote by Menzel I like is: "Art is a bolting horse."<br /><br />Is Menzel well loved and well published in Germany, then? We have a hard time finding much about him here in USA.James Gurneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01870848001990898499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-47305150087663425212009-05-24T06:55:52.253-04:002009-05-24T06:55:52.253-04:00There is a famous saying (quote?) by Menzel about ...There is a famous saying (quote?) by Menzel about the art of drawing: "Alles Zeichnen ist wichtig und und alles zeichnen ist wichtig." It's difficult to translate, but I'll try: "EVERY kind of drawing is important, and it is important to draw everything."<br /><br />If you look at Menzel's paintings, you can find his drawing-skills in every single brushstroke.Hankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06231807080572140898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-51125494364454662332009-05-24T06:45:36.061-04:002009-05-24T06:45:36.061-04:00i liked your blog.i liked your blog.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-24074450610008417302009-05-24T05:05:11.195-04:002009-05-24T05:05:11.195-04:00Tom, Menzel was never married. His art was his liv...Tom, Menzel was never married. His art was his live. In german you would call him 'Original'. Someone, who lives in his own world. Always carrying a big umbrella, his atelier was covered with a very thick layer of dust, thats not allowed to be removed, at meetings, he regulary felt asleep and so on and on ... His was the most esteemed artist in 19th century germany. And, because of his often looser painting style, predating the impressionist (thats something, whats the no-skill-art establishment like), still famous today. Another small great blog entry you can find at: <br />http://beardedroman.com/?p=187Kunst Kommt Von Könnenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05323920236419237319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-79246554455687103442009-05-24T03:10:04.279-04:002009-05-24T03:10:04.279-04:00I've recently visited a big Menzel exhibition in M...I've recently visited a big Menzel exhibition in Munich, which was focused on his drawings. One of the most inspiring collection of works I've ever seen in my (young) life. The sketchbooks were so small and considering he mostly drew with a carpenters pencil, I feel ashamed about my drawings.<br /><br />The "foot-potrait", which Jeff mentioned before, is one of the highlights of the show I thought. So much personality, it's crazy but you can almost smell the pain (As I remember they were saying he was ill when he painted it).<br /><br />Thanks for pointing out such a great german painter, James! I'm sure he will be a great inspiration to others, as he is to me.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12852682243589482136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-85787632656229691232009-05-23T21:11:23.085-04:002009-05-23T21:11:23.085-04:00Hi James
I think he did marry and had a son and a...Hi James <br />I think he did marry and had a son and a daughter. He did some awesome family drawings along with awe inspiring drawings of Frederick of Prussia. Degas was crazy about his work. I think like Nietezshe he regarded " a will to a system as an lack of integrity". And thus his questioning of academic drawing methods.<br /> His command of perspective is something to behold. In many of his drawings he would actually write down the exact measurements of what his was drawing for the paintings he would develop later. I know this will interest you, he did some great drawing of horses and spent a good amount of time at the butchers shop. He would also do drawings of the food he ate which includes a beautiful drawing of some oysters.Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04641223414745777056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-58547418887675789452009-05-23T20:50:39.126-04:002009-05-23T20:50:39.126-04:00I had never heard of him either. I will enjoy lear...I had never heard of him either. I will enjoy learning more about him. Here's to the Sketchbook Habit!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423051076809524563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-43701558913400879292009-05-23T19:44:09.727-04:002009-05-23T19:44:09.727-04:00inspiring to say the leastinspiring to say the leastAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-82797485795178815982009-05-23T19:44:02.335-04:002009-05-23T19:44:02.335-04:00Great find James, never heard of the guy!
"he cou...Great find James, never heard of the guy!<br /><br />"he could not comprehend that there are artists who make the smallest outings without having a sketchbook in their pocket."<br /><br />Agreed! I have two hours of bus riding every day, and I spend most of that time sketch-booking. One year of this has proven just as useful to me as the three years of art college before that, where I often only found time to draw when it was assigned as homework :P<br /><br />Speaking of riding the bus, I'll also attest that drawing vagrants and drunkards is one of the best places to find interesting characters, and Seattle Metro certainly has an abundance.Oscar Baechlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17741877755555366706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-71027116905395247382009-05-23T18:44:23.639-04:002009-05-23T18:44:23.639-04:00The sketch of the elder man with the reclining hea...The sketch of the elder man with the reclining head is a really powerful portrait, from a difficult angle too. Powerful is also how I'd define many of his pictures which come up with a Google search... who else has done a careful study of a worn, aging foot like the one linked above?<br /><br />By the way this is my first message here, but I've been lurking for quite a while - and I must say thank you for creating this great source of information. Your explainations on realistic art technique have dispelled a lot of myths in my head, it is amazing to learn reading and analyzing pictures as you do here.Scalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10139297550864844594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-45513062688229376442009-05-23T17:23:36.581-04:002009-05-23T17:23:36.581-04:00I always wonder how Menzel managed to capture such...I always wonder how Menzel managed to capture such detailed likenesses in his sketchbook. Did he have his subjects hold still while he worked? They look very off the cuff, but they have a correctness and specificity that seems impossible to obtain when drawing a moving person.<br /><br />Menzel and another short, talented draftsman, Ernest Meissonier, were friends, but after the Franco-Prussian war, Meissonier made it a point to sever all his relationships with Germans.<br /><br />Bouguereau was also quite short; a bit over five feet tall, I believe.Victorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16334033221403464054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-28345858657431051322009-05-23T16:38:02.388-04:002009-05-23T16:38:02.388-04:00Had never heard of Menzel.
Thanks for pointing him...Had never heard of Menzel.<br />Thanks for pointing him out (or pointing down at him, given his posture).<br /><br />Have to admit that I also like his own portrait very much.Erik Bongershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02409523352634066030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-2363139025864312572009-05-23T15:26:52.176-04:002009-05-23T15:26:52.176-04:00This is better, links...
MenzelMenzel's footThis is better, links...<br /><br /><A HREF="http://www.onlinekunst.de/frieden/menzel_tote.html" REL="nofollow">Menzel</A><A HREF="http://www.reproarte.com/picture/Adolph+von+_Adolf__Menzel/The+foot+of+the+artist+/7316.html" REL="nofollow">Menzel's foot</A>jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03014751431677271423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-71781365580394139642009-05-23T15:23:26.525-04:002009-05-23T15:23:26.525-04:00Menzil was great. I think he as an influence on Ko...Menzil was great. I think he as an influence on Kollwitz. He did nominate her work for the gold medal of the Große Deutsche Kunstausstellung in Berlin.<br /><br />Menzel did some pretty intense drawings of dead solders, very graphic. <br />http://www.onlinekunst.de/frieden/menzel_tote.html<br /><br />I love this one, he painted his foot: http://www.reproarte.com/picture/Adolph+von+_Adolf__Menzel/The+foot+of+the+artist+/7316.htmljeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03014751431677271423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-65985036220304268842009-05-23T15:11:06.790-04:002009-05-23T15:11:06.790-04:00Hey James,
I really like Menzel's attention to de...Hey James,<br /><br />I really like Menzel's attention to detail. I wonder how many sketchbooks he filled up during his life. <br /><br />Do you keep count of how many sketchbooks you've filled up? I think it would be cool to see a photo of all your sketchbooks together.<br /><br />Best JasonJason Peckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08851518051471565619noreply@blogger.com