Fritz Schwimbeck (Munich 1889-1972 Friedberg bei Augsburg)
"Lux in Tenebris" [Latin, "Light in the Darkness"]
also known as "und das Licht scheinet in d. Finsternis" [German, "And the Light Shines in the Darkness"]
Lesende Motte bei Kerzenschein (Moth Reading by Candlelight)
circa 1913
pen and black ink on wove paper
23 x 15 cm
signed lower left: "F. Schwimbeck"
The Daulton Collection
Exhibition History:
"Unheimlich. Die Kunst von Fritz Schwimbeck" ["Creepy: The Art of Fritz Schwimbeck"], Museum im Wittelsbacher Schloss Friedberg, Germany, January 28, 2023 - April 23, 2023
Discussion:
Graphic artist and illustrator Fritz Schwimbeck grew up in Friedberg Castle [Schloss Friedberg], Bavaria, where his father worked as a magistrate. He received his art education in Munich, and lived there for most of his life, being active in an artistic and literary circle that included the supernatural-fiction author Gustav Meyrink, among others. Schwimbeck is best known for his book illustrations of the 1910s and 20s, and his numerous portfolios of etchings, depicting subjects of dark romanticism and fantasy, but also for his atmospheric, often dark and densely hatched, pen drawings, such as this drawing from The Daulton Collection.
The Daulton Collection owns the largest collection of Schwimbeck’s work in the USA.
