Art & Design Magazine

Hermann Struck: a German-Jewish Etcher

By Adventuresintheprinttrade
I've just discovered that the house of Hermann Struck in Haifa has this October been turned into the Hermann Struck Museum, with an opening exhibition of his etchings. I'm thrilled to think this brilliant and influential etcher is at last getting his due. So I thought I would share the Hermann Struck etchings I have. Struck was born in Berlin in 1876. His birth name was Chaim Aaron ben David, and his Jewish heritage is central to his work - most of the original works below have Hebrew inscriptions or Stars of David incised in the plate in drypoint. An early Zionist, Hermann Struck settled in Palestine, in what is now Haifa, Israel, in December 1922. All of my works date from before this time (although I give the date of his portrait of Chagall as 1923, that is the date of publication, and presumably the actual work was made in or around 1922). Evidently Struck had an active life as artist, mentor, and teacher in Israel, but I don't have any direct evidence of this to show.
Hermann Struck: a German-Jewish etcherHermann Struck, Porträt eines alten MannesEtching, 1901
Hermann Struck: a German-Jewish etcherHermann Struck, Canal GrandeEtching, 1903
Hermann Struck: a German-Jewish etcherHermann Struck, Bildnis R.B.Etching, 1905Does anyone know who R.B. was?
Hermann Struck: a German-Jewish etcherHermann Struck,  Alte Jude aus JaffaEtching, 1905The sitter is Struck's father(I believe probably the same subject as Porträt eines alten Mannes)
Hermann Struck: a German-Jewish etcherHermann Struck, Marc ChagallEtching, published 1923(probably 1922)
Hermann Struck studied at the Berlin Academy, and learned etching under Hans Meyer. Like many other accomplished etchers, he etched plates after the work of others as well as his own originals.
Hermann Struck: a German-Jewish etcherHermann Struck after Olof Jernberg, Zur ErntezeitEtching, 1901
Hermann Struck: a German-Jewish etcherHermann Struck after Max Liebermann, Bildnis des Baron BergerEtching, 1906
Hermann Struck died in Haifa in 1944. In his lifetime Hermann Struck was highly respected as an etcher, and taught the craft to other artists, including Marc Chagall, Max Liebermann, and Lovis Corinth. His important book on the art of etching Die kunst des radierens went through several editions, each illustrated with original prints.

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