Catharina Klein

Catharina Antonie Klein (4 November 1861 - 30 November 1929), mistakenly known as Catherine Klein, was a German painter. Her naturalistic flower and fruit still lifes were extremely popular in the late 19th and early 20th century. They became famous worldwide as multi-colour lithographic prints in books, on postcards, but also in botanical publications. Since then, Klein has been considered an important representative of flower painting.

Life and works Catharina Antonie Klein was born on 4 November 1861 in Karlshöfchen (now in Bagrationovsky District) near the East Prussian town of Preußisch Eylau.

From 1890 on her pictures were shown in exhibitions, especially in Berlin, Dresden and Munich; The works quickly became popular and Klein soon belonged to the circle of the most popular still life painters. Her works were then represented in well-known art collections and the royal palaces of Berlin, At about the same time, Klein ran a much-visited student studio. Maria Strakosch-Giesler, the Baltic German Hildegard von Haken and the American Teana McLennan Hinman.

After the turn of the century, Klein almost exclusively accepted commissioned work from publishers such as Meissner & Buch from Leipzig and Raphael Tuck & Sons from London. In addition to the printing of her works, which Klein herself tirelessly promoted, a large number of unauthorized copies appeared. These forgeries were often alienated by additional embellishments and thereby lost their artistic value.

In addition to the popular depictions of flowers, Klein has also illustrated publications for the botanical world in the 1890s. These included, for example, the two-volume overview work Vilmorin's Blumengärtnerei, the Rosen-Zeitung, the French Journal des Roses and the journal of the German Dendrological Society. There was also a major contribution to Parey's Blumengärtnerei, a standard work of horticultural literature at the time, which she was unable to complete. She died on November 30, 1929, at the age of 68 in Berlin-Charlottenburg. Her remains were removed from her grave in 1953 as she was not considered a sufficiently significant artist by the cultural authorities. In line with this, the painter used heavy, tinted paper. The background of the picture was usually designed with watercolours, the actual motif was created by applying water-soluble top paints. Klein added chinese white to the latter to increase the colour brilliance, but also to simplify later lithographic reproductions. In 1905, another German-language encyclopedia, Meyers Konversations-Lexikon, classified the painter among those who "know how to combine the truth of the characteristics with the richness and virtue of the colouring". By that time, Klein's reputation preceded her; various authors and magazines recognized Klein and her work and she was a household name in large parts of the population. The "ingenious" flower painter would paint "professional hand" still lifes that were "highly expressive". Perfect, "amazing" technique is combined with her "soulful penetration of the material". You can literally feel the stirring of the petals, you can guess the fragrance that emanates from them. The focus is not on "timidity" and "scrupulously correctness" but rather on "the spirit of free composition". In addition to the informal, random position of the bouquets, Because of the "excellent decorative effect" the pictures were recommended both as room decorations and as colouring pages. and Kurt Engelhardt a variety of dahlia after her in recognition of her life's work.

Retrospective

Even if Klein's work – especially in the form of artist-signed postcards – is still present today, the painter herself seems to be an almost forgotten figure. Her name has largely fallen into oblivion. A knowledgeable art-historical discourse has, up until now, not yet evolved. These days the art reception of Klein is limited to a few contributions in non-fiction books and other media such as enthusiast blogs on the web. These include statements by the cultural scientist Sabine Frank, according to whom the art scene, which was dominated by arrogant "male egomaniacs", has contributed to Klein's rapid fall into oblivion. Because quite a few people probably envied her great business success, Klein was denied the appropriate artistic recognition. Such would be necessary for Germany's best-known flower painter with her unmistakable style, Frank continued. The compositions of her pictures are "brilliant", the technical ability "above any doubt" and their depictions are easily accessible even without any training one the topic of art history. Klein's creations are among the best that still life painting has ever produced, Frank concluded. In addition, the pictures are of particular botanical value due to their accuracy and the great variety of species depicted – unmatched by any other painter.

General bibliography Sabine Frank: Rosenliebhaberinnen. Insel, Berlin 2016, ISBN 978-3-458-36137-4. Don Barnard: Catharina Klein: A Postcard Catalogue. Semicolon Press, Leamington Spa 1998, ISBN 978-0-9533525-0-0. Vilmorin-Andrieux et cie, August Siebert, Andreas Voss (Editors): Vilmorin’s Blumengärtnerei. Beschreibung, Kultur und Verwendung des gesamten Pflanzenmaterials für deutsche Gärten. Band 2, Paul Parey, Berlin 1896 (Illustrations, Digitized).