My (humble) ART Collection (Selected)
Robert Budzinski 1874-1955, Nude on the Grass, c. 1920, etching.
An important East German (specifically Prussian) artist of the early twentieth century, Robert Budzinski is famous both for his original prints and illustrated books. Robert Budzinski both wrote and illustrated such books as "Entdeckung Ostdeutschlands" ,1914, ('Discovery in Eastern Germany'), "Kuri-neru, and Der Mond fallt auf Westpreusen" ('The Moon is in West Prussia'). As well, he illustrated numerous literary works, such as Theodor Storm's, "Die Sohne des Senators" (1924), and (beginning in 1920) created and published the "Ostmarkkalender".
As an original printmaker Robert Budzinski was equally adept at etching, lithography, woodcuts and linocuts. As well as creating individual works of art in these media, such as this original etching, he was frequently commissioned for his ex-libris bookplates. Budzinski most often printed his own works. Few were published in numbered editions but it is known that most were printed in small numbers of twenty-five impressions or less. This print may well be extremely rare, for I have not been able to find references to it in any media or internet.
Stylistically, Robert Budzinski has sometimes been described as an Impressionist. His oeuvre, however, is far too varied for any such classification. Within Robert Budzinski's graphic art we see the work of a constant innovator and experimenter. Drawing upon Impressionistic, Symbolist and Expressionistic elements, his art is clearly both unique and compelling. In this amazing image a solitary individual is swamped by an inescapable environment. In this regard one can't help comparing his work with the prints and paintings of Budzinski's great contemporary, James Ensor.
During his career, Robert Budzinski was an active participant in the Wandervogel and Lebensreform movements