Hanna Nagel 1907-1975. German Realist School early 20th.Century. Pen, ink and watercolour drawing a study of a young woman reading alone. Signed lower left. 11 by 14 cms. To mounted image.
Pioneering German realist draughtswoman and engraver. Born at Heidelberg, Hanna Nagel initially trained as a bookbinder before enrolling in the Fine Arts School in Karlsruhe in 1919. She studied with Walter Conz, Wilelm Schnarrenberger and, most importantly, Karl Hubbuch, head of the Baden branch of the Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity), the post-War German movement that advocated for a realist representation of the modern world. Verism. She followed the example of her professor in terms of themes, highly social content, as well as in her bold and sharp style, which was generally unflattering to her models. Unlike Hubbuch, she generally chose to treat her figures alone, isolated in their environment, imbuing them a strange presence. In 1929, she moved to Berlin, where she took courses with Hans Meid and Emil Orlik at the Fine Arts Academy. She married the painter Hans Fischer in 1931.