KARL FRIEDRICH BELL (Vienna 1877 - 1958 Vienna), Fortune teller

KARL FRIEDRICH BELL*
(Vienna 1877 - 1958 Vienna)
Fortune teller
woodcut/paper 34,5 x 28 cm
signed K. F. Bell
Provenance: private property Vienna

ESTIMATE °€ 100 - 200
START € 100

Austrian artist of the 20th century. Studied at the School of Arts and Crafts from 1897 and at the Academy of Fine Arts from 1898 to 1902 and 1904. Member of the Vienna Secession and the Künstlerhaus. Worked as a freelance artist and illustrator. From 1910 also published verse epics, which he illustrated himself, such as Die sieben Lasterteufel, Heiland und Welt, Höllenreigen, Fluch und Erlösung. Married to the music teacher and pianist Else Jagla. Created mainly lithographs, woodcuts and etchings, as well as bookplates and Viennese representations such as the colorful hustle and bustle in the Vienna Prater.

The Viennese painter, graphic artist and writer Karl Friedrich Bell, married to the music teacher and pianist Else Jagla, worked after studying at the Graphic Teaching and Research Institute, the Academy of Fine Arts and the School of Applied Arts as a freelance illustrator, then became a civil servant and finally turned to an artistic career in 1913. From 1913 to 1938 he was a member of the Secession, then of the Künstlerhaus; his works are represented in Viennese collections. From 1910 on, he also published verses, which he illustrated himself (among others "The Seven Wicked Devils", 1910; "Heiland und Welt", 1916; "Reigen in Hell", 1921; "Curse and Redemption", 1934). Bell created lithographs, woodcuts and etchings; Exlibris drafts and Viennese depictions (e.g. street in Alt-Erdberg) deserve special mention. On this woodcut of the horoscope maker, things are not as monstrous as on a number of other graphics by the artist. Depicted is a fairground or perhaps just an urban scene, which, judging by the costumes, can probably be placed in the 19th century and is densely populated by people looking for pleasure or truth. The horoscope maker has to work hard to get the audience's attention, including that of the viewer. A towering top hat serves as an essential tool for the short man, with which he is just as tall as the surrounding people without top hats. At the same time, the hat gives the horoscope writer the necessary degree of seriousness. However, the man seems to be quite successful. Apparently, the general uncertainty is great enough to bring the charlatan plenty of paying customers. As is usual with Bell, all those portrayed have in common the characteristic of looking very square.

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