EMIL ORLIK

21.7.1870 - 28.9.1932

The BOOKPLATES of EMIL ORLIK

Heinrich R. Scheffer

Emil Orlik - His life

Emil Orlik belonged to the turn of the century circle of German speaking artists in Prague for whom this traditional city of culture provided the basis for their works. They left behind important traces for the cultural history of central Europe. Many personalities have to be named who worked partly with Orlik or, at least, emerged within the same artists circle: Rainer Maria Rilke, Franz Werfel, Franz Kafka, Max Brod and Richard Teschner. These are only a few who were born during the last decades of the 19th century and who started out originally in Prague in order to create their oeuvre. At that time Vienna was the undoubted cultural centre of the Habsburg monarchy which, however, already showed signs of breaking apart. Its attractiveness for artists of the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy was great and many of them emigrated to Vienna in order to continue with their cultural vision there or, at least, be inspired by the variety of influences to complete their artistic works abroad after the collapse of the monarchy. Orlik was one of those who chose Vienna as it was an important interim stage in his career to finally create his artistic work in Berlin.

Emil Orlik was born on 21st of July, 1870 in Prague as the son of a simple but esteemed Jewish tailor. Already as a youngster his wish was to become a painter which was finally granted by his father who gave him permission in October, 1889 to leave for Munich and attend the Academy of Fine Art there. However, Orlik experienced his first setback by not being accepted at the Academy because of his lack of experience in drawing. He did not give up his objective of becoming a painter and enrolled at the private school of art headed by the painter Heinrich Knirr, an institute chosen by students as an alternative to the Academy as was also the case with Franz von Bayros and Paul Klee. Orlik spent one and a half years at the Knirr Institute working very hard with lots of enthusiasm, as he was convinced of his abilities to become a professional painter. In retrospect one can say that Orlik received at the Knirr Institute the basic and well founded tools in painting and drawing as well as the basis for his pedagogic abilities. He realized that one way of obtaining perfection is to work hard and with a strong will for improvement.

In 1891 Orlik tried again to be admitted to the Academy of Fine Art and succeeded. He joined the class of Wilhelm von Lindenschmit d.J. who very early on realized his pupil's talent and supported him strongly. In the Munich Pinakothek he copied Rembrandt and many other Old Masters and undertook his first experiments with printing techniques. In order to study the subject of graphic art Orlik signed on to attend the class headed by Johann Leonhard Raab, a specialist in copper engravings. To the old professor Orlik seemed to be somewhat unconventional since he tried all kinds of techniques which the old man did not know and because of his tradition didn't want to be practiced. Raab considered Orlik to be a »wild guest« and, therefore, the relationship between the two of them was not the best.

The studies at the Munich Academy lasted only three semesters until 1893 - and were given up on the spur of the moment. Orlik was a rather uneasy character who did not like to be squeezed into a rigid system and chose to go his own way. He came to the conclusion that to study the Munich Naturalists of the circle around Wilhelm Leibl was more important than to follow the instructions of the rather conservative approach to arts at the Academy. Being called upon to enlist in the Austrian Army was another practical reason for him to leave Munich. In 1894 Orlik returned to Prague and started to paint views of the old streets of his home town and scenes of the ghetto and became part of the contemporary circle of artists there.

In 1896 Or1ik returned for one year to Munich since he still maintained contacts, especially to his friend Bernhard Pankok. Both were very keen on working on the development of new printing techniques especially xylography. Orlik was primari1y interested in the technique of the color-woodcut and he found the examples of it imported from Japan fascinating. The experiments in the area of the woodcut resulted in a portfolio »Kleine Holzschnitte 1896-1899« and following Pankok's recommendation Orlik joined the group of artists working for the newly founded journal »Jugend« for which Orlik produced several illustrations.

Orlik's graphic oeuvre is influenced by bis extensive travels and his graphic works depict the landscapes and peop1e seen during his voyages. Orlik traveled down the Rhine to Southern Germany, to Dresden, Budapest, and often visited Vienna and Berlin. In 1898 he went for an extensive trip through Europe, visiting England, Scot1and, Holland, Belgium and later on Paris. He met William Nicholson, the creator of the contemporary English woodcut-poster as well as Felix Vallotton. In 1899 Orlik settled in Vienna and was offered membership in the Viennese Artists Society »Secession «. He participated in the 5th exhibition »Experiments and Results of Contemporary Graphics« together with other important Austrian artists such as Rudolf von Alt, Adolf Böhm, Rudolf Jettmar and Gustav Klimt but also together with guests from abroad such as Käthe Kollwitz, Max Liebermann, Auguste Renoir, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Camille Pissarro.

Of significance to Orlik's life and bis attitude towards art was his trip to Japan. He started out in 1900 from Vienna with the objective of studying art »a la Japonaise« in the country of origin. He did not want to rely on the imports from Japan which influenced the artists in Europe significant1y. Especially the Ones attracted by the »Jugendstil« incorporated the Japanese influence in ornaments so typical for this style. Orlik was excited about his experience in Japan and about the fact that he was able to study the woodcut at its source and make personal contacts with Japanese artists and get direct advice concerning the secrets of this technique. After his return to Europe in 1901, Orlik maintained close ties with Vienna and participated in exhibitions of the »Secession« such as in the 14th exhibition 1902 with the amous Beethoven statue by Max Klinger surrounded by Gustav Klimt's Beethoven frieze. In 1904 Orlik was part of the unrest in the arts community of Vienna since the artists around Gustav Klimt split from the Viennese »Secession« to form their own, independent arts movement.

In 1905 Orlik was offered an assignment in Berlin to become the successor of Prof. Otto Eckmann in order to teach the class for graphic arts and book illustrations at the Kunstgewerbemuseum. He accepted this offer immediately since it represented security for him. He maintained this position until his retirement in 1930. Anyway, he was sorry to leave Vienna as he was changing to a different social and cultural environment when he was confronted with the ideas of Max Liebermann and German Impressionism, Käthe Kollwitz and her Expressionism critical of the social conditions in Prussia as well as the »wild« approach to Expressionism of artists such as Erich Heckel, Ernst-Ludwig Kirchner, Otto Müller and Max Pechstein, who met in Berlin 1911 again in order to rephrase their artistic objectives.

The secure position which Orlik had did not prevent him from continuing with his own drive for perfection and openness. He continued with his extensive traveling between 1906 and 1913 with four trips to Italy and several visits to Paris where he found the best opportunities for informing himself about the new trends in European printed art. Furthermore, Paris provided Orlik with the opportunity of practicing painting and drawing of nude models, according to his view a weak point in is art and constant desire for improvement. In Paris he met Henri Matisse and Auguste Rodin as well as acquired paintings by Cezanne, van Dongen and Matisse for his own collection. It is interesting to note that Orlik acquired an important art collection especially artifacts from his trips to the Far East including a collection of Japanese woodcuts.

Orlik was a much diversified artist reaching far beyond painted matters. In his friendship with the poet Gerhart Hauptmann and the Art Director Max Reinhardt he established inroads into theatre life and designed stage settings, posters (»Die Weber«) costumes and made numerous drawings from theatre rehearsals, back stage life and performances.

In 1911 Orlik undertook another trip via Egypt, the Sudan and Ceylon to the Far East crossing China and Korea to arrive at his beloved Japan. He stayed there, however, only for a short period of time and he has been somewhat disappointed about the changes in Japanese life which was not to the better in his opinion. This visit did not have the same influence on his art as the first stay there. After an intensive life dedicated to arts and arts teaching, Orlik died in Berlin on 28th of September, 1932.

Emil Orlik - His Bookplates

Out of bis overall artistic oeuvre which spans from the hastily drawn caricature in bis notebooks to stage decorations for Max Reinhardt this paper deals only with a selected area which may seem to be unimportant but, however, because of its intimacy it can claim to be a special aspect of his works showing individuality and intensity in its message: these are his bookplates.

The bookplate or Exlibris has not always been undervalued in use and admiration as it is today. It was fashionable around the turn of the century to own a bookplate for reasons of social prestige and image. It was even more respected to have a bookplate from an important artist such as Emil Orlik. Bookplates became a collectors' item and bookplate societies were founded in order to provide bookplate collectors a meeting point to exchange bookplates, to meet artists and to commission Exlibris.

However, Orlik did not actively participate in collectors' societies, as a matter of fact, he produced bookplates on commission only on an exceptional basis. Most of his bookplates were dedicated to friends and should be understood as a sign of friendship or gratitude towards them. This is the case for the bookplates for Wilhelm Schölermann (checklist Nr. 114), Hans W. Singer (Nr. 117, 118), Dr. Rudolf Neumann (Nr. 84, 85), and Rainer Maria Rilke (Nr. 102), who published articles about the works of Emil Orlik. Friends received bookplates such as Bernhard Pankok (Nr. 97), Oskar Loerke (Nr. 69), his brother Hugo Orlik (Nr. 91-93), Max Lehrs (Nr. 65, 66), and his niece Minda Langweil (Nr. 63).

Orlik was the first artist who created the contemporary bookplate using only the initials of the owner as the predominant element of the composition. This is the result of the Japanese influence in Orlik's Exlibris oeuvre and in contrast to the bookplates commonly used at that time. Artists like Josef Sattler, George Barlösius and Hans Bastanier prized »beauty« in their motives and monumentally in execution. The intimate character of a personal bookplate got completely lost and was revived and defended by Orlik. As a matter of fact, his own initial used as a signature in many of bis works shows Japanese influence.

Orlik not only influenced the contemporary bookplate in Europe but introduced the European type bookplate also in Japan. On bis first trip to Japan in 1900 he brought with him four examples of his bookplates: the plates for Mathieu Lützenkirchen (Nr. 71), R. Strathern (Nr. 120), Dr. Fr. Rosenthal (Nr. 105), and his own bookplate Nr. 88. Setsuko Kuwabara referred in her dissertation »Emil Orlik in Japan« that the afore-mentioned bookplates were described in the art journal »Myojo« and explanations were given on how to use this type of bookplate. The question was raised, whether bookplates should become fashionable also in Japan. Several Japanese artists asked Orlik, who was introduced as »an artist from Austria on a trip through Asia«, for a bookplate. Whether Orlik produced bookplates for same of his Japanese hosts is not known.

Orlik was master of all graphic techniques. Although he admired the woodcut (Holzschnitt) the number of bookplates in this technique is small. Most of the bookplates were done as etchings (Radierung) with the help of Vernis mou, Drypoint and Roulette. Outstanding are his lithographs (Lithographien) done directly on the stone. The colors are chosen very carefully often gold or silver as a background. These original lithographs represent the true masterpieces of Orlik's art. A number of bookplates were printed using other techniques (Klischee/zinc etching)

Orlik did not consider the writing on his bookplates as important. This is the only criticism which could be applied since the writing is and has always been an important part of a bookplate. Unfortunately, the outstanding calligraphic style of Japanese writing did not influence him whatsoever.

The check-list of bookplates created by Orlik lists 142 numbers (see the checklist in the Section of the German translation). This number includes also a design of a bookplate for Gerhart Hauptmann, the important German author. This design however, has never been executed. Orlik’s early plates are made as fine lithographs, later on Orlik changed to etchings and clichés. Although fund of woodcuts, he made only a few of them in this technique - one for Gerhart Hauptmann’s son Klaus - which is somewhat surprising, given the fact of his efforts in Japan.

One could almost trace the biography of Orlik based on his bookplates. Most of them represent significant references to his life. A limited selection of them is described below:

Today, bookplates by Emil Orlik are rare, not easy to exchange and relatively high in price. They are very much sought-after and every bookplate-collector is proud to have at least one Exlibris by Orlik in his collection.