City

John von Wicht

German immigrant John von Wicht came to the U.S. in 1923 after being unable to find work as an artist in post-war Berlin, but it wasn’t until his work as an army supply-barge operator in New York harbor during the second World War that he found his stride in style and subject matter. In the late 1940s, Von Wicht was known for his geometric cubist works, particularly influenced by Kandinsky and the work he had seen as a young man in Germany. After moving to the US he worked in the WPA and exhibited with the American Abstract Artists group. During the 1950s, his sensuously colored geometric abstractions gave way to loose, expressionistic forms.

This cubistic lithograph was done by Von Wicht in an edition of 20 impressions and was printed by the Master Printer and artist Bob Blackburn. at the Printmaking Workshop which Blackburn opened in 1949 with von Wicht's help. However, a pencil notation in the lower margin indicates that 13 impressions were printed only 11 of which were considered "good ones".

Inspired by the nocturnal views of the New York skyline, he created works that illuminated the refracted cityscape and the vibrant lives of its inhabitants. “City” perfects this manmade beauty; it is immediately recognizable by anyone who resides in the bustling chaos of such a place.

Abstract prints were not well accepted in the 1950s and von Wicht, like many of his contemporaries, did not print large editions, in this case only 11 impressions. The artist's motivation was the exploration of the medium rather than creating a commercial "success".

In 1949 Von Wicht and Will Barnett helped Blackburn, who was the Master Printer at the Art Students League, open his own printshop in New York. The rest is print world history.

John Von Wicht was born Johannes Von Wicht on 3 February 1888 in Malente, Germany. At the age of seventeen, he apprenticed as a craftsman in a painting and decorating shop and spent his spare time drawing from nature. In 1909-1910, he studied applied arts at the Privatschule of Hesse-Darmstadt. With a three-year scholarship to the Royal School of Fine and Applied Arts in Berlin, Von Wicht studied lithography, mosaics and stained glass and received his Bachelor of Arts in 1912.

During World War I, Von Wicht was wounded but he devoted his time to book design and illustration work during his long recovery. Unable to find employment as a craftsman after the war, he emigrated to the United States in 1923. Settling in Brooklyn Heights, Von Wicht found employment with a lithography company and as an artisan making stained glass and mosaics. In 1936 he became a naturalized citizen and was soon hired on the mural painting division of the Federal Art Project/WPA. He collaborated with Stuart Davis, Byron Browne and Louis Schanker on a mural for Radio Station WNYC and today Von Wicht’s mural is on long-term loan with the Brooklyn Public Library.

Von Wicht combined geometric abstraction and dense color in his paintings. In the late 1930s, he exhibited with the American Abstract Artists group and the Federation of Modern Painters and Sculptors and, in 1939, his first solo show opened in New York at the Theodor A. Kohn Gallery. In 1944, he exhibited oils and gouaches at The Artist Gallery and, the following year, he showed at the Kleeman Gallery.

During World War II, Von Wicht served as captain of a supply barge ferrying food to army transport ships in New York harbor. Harbor themes began to appear in his abstractions and, during the 1950s, his sensuously colored geometric abstractions gave way to loose expressionistic forms. In 1954 Von Wicht received the first of twelve annual residencies at the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire.