Studio: international art (53.1911)

Walther Klenmis Wood-Engravings

historian—what Whistler would have called "an understood, whereas the man who immediately
art critic " and then have crossed himself—was reduces what he sees to a sketch or even a careful
mapped out for him. But he soon worked more drawing is perplexed and led astray by the endless
assiduously at the Academy and the Viennese trivialities and inessential detail that pertain to each
School of Applied Arts than at the University, subject as nature presents it. In our memory, only
which he abandoned entirely at the expiration of the vital elements keep alive, and when we train
six semesters. Prof, von Kenner, Koloman Moser, ourselves to stock our mind with careful observa-
and A. Roller—the principal decorator at the tions, depending for our final work altogether
Viennese Opera, and the man who has quite recently on the material that memory offers us, we attain
added new fame to his name by his mise en scene of the typical and truly characteristic features of
Richard Strauss's " Rosenkavalier "—gave Klemm nature."

the benefit of their advice. Animals engage Mr. Klemm's attention more

At that time Emil Orlik had just returned from particularly, and he tells me he lies for hours and
his fourteen months' sojourn in Japan, and started days in the fields, hidden among the bushes,
the art of woodcut in Germany on a new basis, observing birds, hares, &c, through a good field-
The work interested Klemm intensely, but he never glass. Then he returns home and jots down
received any instructions from Orlik or any one " notes" in great number, as well as his memory
else. It was natural, however, that at first his own will permit. It is from these notes that he finally
productions should savour of Orlik's style to a makes up the picture. This method is, of course,
certain degree. And after having freed himself not exclusively his own, nor even a rare one—yet it
from this influence he made one more detour, before must not be forgotten that with us in Germany, at
becoming quite himself. This consisted of a least, you may chance to be in company with
thorough study of original Japanese woodcuts and a dozen full-fledged artists, and not one of them
a serious attempt at imitating some of Hiroshige's would dare to draw even a simple composition
prints. The object of this pursuit was to attain the without the help of models. In any case, the
same starting-ground, so

to speak, to compass the 1
same basis upon which
this art is built in the Far
East.

" My studies seemed to
teach me," writes Mr.
Klemm, and the facts
bear out his observations,
" that the Japanese never
work with their subject in
hand directly before their
eyes. The idealised veri-
similitude obtaining in
Japanese art is so far re-
moved from what we may
call a slavish or photo-
graphic manner of copying
nature, that it can be
accounted for only by sup-
posing it to be based on
memory and this again on
acute observation. They
evidently observe nature,
one might almost say,
stealthily, and thus receive
impressions of motion,
forms and colours which

are lasting and well "turkeys." from the wood-engraving in colours by walther klemm

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