Description
Portrait of a Young Girl, 1928, a framed charcoal from the estate of Frank von der Lancken. Frank von der Lanckens career was largely defined by his interest in art education and his role as a teacher of the arts. In Portrait of a Young Girl, he uses line and shading to highlight beauty in art. He used charcoal as a medium for the portrait because charcoal creates a variety of depth and shading, and you can see form and contour in the hair and shadows on the girls face. This shading gives her lifelike features and a very clean image. The body is lightly drawn and appears to be fragile, probably to emphasize the delicate features of her face, and its likely that von der Lancken used the girl as technical practice for a youthful portrait. When he was teaching art classes in Chautauqua, New York, he used charcoal drawings to focus on balance, rhythm, and form. He said that when art strayed from these fundamentals, the result was preposterous and often
ugly. He believed that artists should stick to the fundamentals, and when they used their technical skills to do that, they would portray beauty in art. Portrait of A Young Girl is part of a collection that comes directly from the estate of Frank von der Lancken and includes oils on canvas, oils on board, watercolors, charcoals, and colored pencils. The collection was displayed at Hirschl & Adler Galleries in New York City in 2017 and 2018. His biography comes from Articulating an American Aesthetic: Frank von der Lancken, 2013, The Trout Gallery, Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, with the help of staff at Hirschl & Adler: Born in Brooklyn, Frank von der Lancken (1872-1950) was an influential, but largely forgotten, proponent of the Arts and Crafts movement in America. His lack of notoriety may be explained by a marked preference for teaching over selling, and for exhibiting as a means of instruction rather then self-promotion. He was never represented by a gallery and apparently had no agent. In fact, much of von der Lanckens oeuvre remained in his possession until his death in 1950 and was subsequently preserved by his children and grandchildren. During his career, von der Lancken migrated from the larger art centers of New York and Paris to the more remote areas of New Milford, Connecticut, Rochester, New York, and Chautauqua, New York. Then he found his way to Louisville, Kentucky and finally Tulsa, Oklahoma, and he was always true to the Arts and Crafts movement. He began his artistic training around 1888 at the Pratt Institute in New York. By 1890 he was studying at the prestigious Arts Student League in New York City. Between 1897 and 1897 he trained in Paris at the Academies Julian and Colarossi, and in the late 1890s his works were included in various exhibitions around the U.S. In 1903 he was invited to return to the Pratt Institute as an instructor, and in 1904 he was hired by the Mechanics Institute, a rival school in Rochester, where he taught Pratts brand of progressive art education. In 1921, von der Lancken entered the next phase of his career when he became director of the School of Arts and Crafts at the Chautauqua Institution in New York. He spent summers in New Milford until 1946, was a permanent resident of Rochester from 1904 to 1923, he spent two years at Louisville (1924 - 1926), and finally settled down in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he lived with his wife Giulia from 1926 to 1950. He and his wife were called the first family of art in Tulsa. Born in Brooklyn, Frank von der Lancken (1872-1950) was an influential, but largely forgotten, proponent of the Arts and Crafts movement in America. His lack of notoriety may be explained by a marked preference for teaching over selling, and for exhibiting as a means of instruction rather then self-promotion. He was never represented by a gallery and apparently had no agent. In fact, much of von der Lanckens oeuvre remained in his possession until his death in 1950 and was subsequently preserved by his children and grandchildren. During his career, von der Lancken migrated from the larger art centers of New York and Paris to the more remote areas of New Milford, Connecticut, Rochester, New York, and Chautauqua, New York. Then he found his way to Louisville, Kentucky and finally Tulsa, Oklahoma, and he was always true to the Arts and Crafts movement. He began his artistic training around 1888 at the Pratt Institute in New York. By 1890 he was studying at the prestigious Arts Student League in New York City. Between 1897 and 1897 he trained in Paris at the Academies Julian and Colarossi, and in the late 1890s his works were included in various exhibitions around the U.S. In 1903 he was invited to return to the Pratt Institute as an instructor, and in 1904 he was hired by the Mechanics Institute, a rival school in Rochester, where he taught Pratts brand of progressive art education. In 1921, von der Lancken entered the next phase of his career when he became director of the School of Arts and Crafts at the Chautauqua Institution in New York. He spent summers in New Milford until 1946, was a permanent resident of Rochester from 1904 to 1923, he spent two years at Louisville (1924 - 1926), and finally settled down in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he lived with his wife Giulia from 1926 to 1950. He and his wife were called the first family of art in Tulsa. Signed F. von der Lancken in the lower right and dated 1928, with provenance from the Hirschl & Adler Galleries in New York City CONDITION - By registering to bid for this auction (either in-house or online) and/or placing a bid in this auction. The BIDDER/BUYER agrees to all the terms and conditions of Sarasota Estate Auction. - All silver, gold and/or jewelry lots MUST be paid for via wire transfer or cashiers check upon receipt of invoice, no other forms of payment will be accepted. - We recommend looking into shipping quotes prior to bidding. A list of local shippers is available upon request - All sales are final; no refunds will be given under any circumstances. - Sarasota Estate Auction can provide condition reports as a courtesy to our clients and assumes no liability for any error or omission. Conditions or Descriptions are opinions of our staff and should in no way be construed as a guarantee of any kind as to age, condition, mater. The bidder assumes responsibility for ensuring that the condition of the item(s) meets with their satisfaction prior to bidding. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. - Online images can sometimes be low quality due to the uploading process, original high-resolution images can be requested via email at SarasotaEstateAuction@gmail.com Sight Size: 26 x 20 in Medium: Charcoal on paper
