First Annual Summer Americana Auction
Springtime in Pettau, Slovenia–present-day Yugoslavia Original colored etching, 13 3/4 x 10 inches platemark, 19 x 15 1/4 inches overall; printed within plate in lower right corner: “K [?] L 1937” and signed in pencil, “Luigi Kasimir” in bottom center within plate. Very good in matted frame. Luigi Catalog Number: 453. Provenance: Estate of Colonel Joseph Plummer, USA. As a young lieutenant, Plummer served in the occupation of Austria at the close of World War II and acquired this etching direct from the artist in Vienna. Kasimir Luigi was born in 1881 at Pettau, Slovenia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. He inherited his talent from his grandfather, a painter and a poet and his father, an officer in the Habsburg army who later became a professional painter. Kasimir attended the Vienna Academy of Art where he studied under Wilhelm Unger and was one of the first artists to develop the technique of colored etching. He would first create a sketch or drawing, usually in pastel, then transfer the design on as many as 4-6 plates, printing one after the other and applying the color on the plate—all by hand. Mainly famous for his etchings, he also produced some oil painting, as well as pastels. One of his favourite genres was the landscape, depicting places from Europe–mostly Italy, Austria and Germany—and also traveled to the United States to do a series, ranging from New York City skyscrapers to natural wonders like Yosemite. Kasimir Luigi died in Vienna in 1962.
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