Portrait of Oscar Wilde

1907. Etching on paper; paper 11-3/4 x 9 inches, plate 5-3/4 x 4 inches. 1 vols. Matted and Framed, signed in pencil. Etching on paper; paper 11-3/4 x 9 inches, plate 5-3/4 x 4 inches. 1 vols. Delicate and Sympathetic Portrait of the Young Wilde. Hermann Struck (1876-1944)is recognized for his extensive landscapes and portraits of noted personalities in early 20th century Europe, including Herzl, Ibsen, Nietzsche, Freud, Einstein, Rutenberg et al. He was born into an Orthodox Berlin family and subsequently studied at the Berlin Academy under Max Koner and Hans Meyer. He joined the Zionist movement at an early age and in 1903, after several study trips throughout Europe, he visited Palestine, and on his way back to Germany stopped in Vienna, where he was introduced to Herzl. It was this meeting that inspired the famous portrait etching of the Zionist leader. During World War I Struck served with the German Army in Lithuania, where he came in contact with Eastern European Jews and embraced their way of life. In 1923 he returned to Palestine and settled in Haifa. By now a master of the craft of etching, Struck taught graphic techniques to such fellow artists as Chagall, Liebermann, Israels, Corinth, Ury and Budko. His book, Die Kunst des Radierens (1923), a popular guide book for artists and connoisseurs, provides both technical explanations and practical instruction.
Struck excelled as a portraitist. He also recorded landscapes, Jewish and Arab types and scenes from the Jewish diaspora. He spent time in England, and became a member of the London Society of Painters, Etchers and Engravers.