In the 1990's R. A. Baumgart, wrote an article for the Journal (Wisconsin Newspaper) entitled: Scissors Art: the Lace That Takes a Million Snips. The subtitle was: For Sheer Intricacy, It's Hard to Top the Delicate Folk Art of Long Ago Europe. Baumgart's knowledge was helpful in creating this blog.
Scissor cutting art has been practiced in much of Europe for centuries, but the work has now faded. It reached its peak about 200 years ago. It was the people's art, and when done by the Germans and Swiss it is called scherenschnitte. When accomplished by the these two groups, the work tends to be more delicate and more detailed in design. Scherenschnitte was cut from single sheets of paper and pasted on a contrasting paper background. Common subjects were fantasies of trees, elves or rural scenes.
A Steady Hand and a Keen Eye: Scherenschnitte is a demanding art form. The work is incredibly detailed. Long hours and exacting conditions are required. Fine detail demands that cutting be done by natural light. An average size cutting may require upward of one million well directed snips of the tiny scissors. Patience isn't a virtue - it is a necessity. One tiny slip of the scissors and a whole piece can be ruined. The hand that guides the scissors must be the envy of any surgeon.
The ultimate in scherenschnitte is collage. Few artist even attempted it. As a result collages have become exceeding rare, and are a highly prized collector's item. Collage is the combination of variously colored paper cut into the component parts making up one finished multicolored piece.
Some of the old European masters preferred to use designs requiring only a few colors of paper to minimize complexity in mounting.
Thousands of Pieces Precisely Cut, Fitted: The floral design of "Bird in the Bushes," is typical of von Gunten's work. In this example he uses black and gold paper. Thousands of small separate pieces were carefully cut and precisely fitted to blend the delicate finished effect. Weeks must have been required to accomplish this piece with butterflies and spring worm. There is a fly on the edge of this floral composition.
Walter von Gunten, Swiss, born in 1934, learned his art by looking at 17th Century cutouts in books. He first started his paper cutouts in his early twenties and arrived in the US in 1961. In the 1960's and 70's he ends up in living in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, near Lake Winnebago, in an old frame house with north-facing light. It is there that birds become his favorite subjects, as he enjoyed watching them eat the spiders below his windowsill.
He moves on to Arizona (of course). His work has been exhibited in the US and Europe, including the International Folk Art Museum in 1963, and he is continuing to still exhibit in Europe, he had major show in 2012 and 2013. In 2013, he traveled from Arizona to participate in the European show at age 83.
Scissor cutting art has been practiced in much of Europe for centuries, but the work has now faded. It reached its peak about 200 years ago. It was the people's art, and when done by the Germans and Swiss it is called scherenschnitte. When accomplished by the these two groups, the work tends to be more delicate and more detailed in design. Scherenschnitte was cut from single sheets of paper and pasted on a contrasting paper background. Common subjects were fantasies of trees, elves or rural scenes.
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| "Bird in the Bushes" Cut Black and Gold Paper on White Mat Board Framed: Approx. 20 X 16.5 Inches Signed Lower Left: Walter von Gunten |
The ultimate in scherenschnitte is collage. Few artist even attempted it. As a result collages have become exceeding rare, and are a highly prized collector's item. Collage is the combination of variously colored paper cut into the component parts making up one finished multicolored piece.
Some of the old European masters preferred to use designs requiring only a few colors of paper to minimize complexity in mounting.
Thousands of Pieces Precisely Cut, Fitted: The floral design of "Bird in the Bushes," is typical of von Gunten's work. In this example he uses black and gold paper. Thousands of small separate pieces were carefully cut and precisely fitted to blend the delicate finished effect. Weeks must have been required to accomplish this piece with butterflies and spring worm. There is a fly on the edge of this floral composition.
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| Pencil Signature Example |
He moves on to Arizona (of course). His work has been exhibited in the US and Europe, including the International Folk Art Museum in 1963, and he is continuing to still exhibit in Europe, he had major show in 2012 and 2013. In 2013, he traveled from Arizona to participate in the European show at age 83.
Documentation and References:
Winans, Vanessa, Daily Record Staff, "Not your ordinary paper cut," York Daily Record, 1891 Loucks Rd, York, PA 17408, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 1993, Living Section.
Enlarge as necessary for readability.
Article Submitted by Vanessa Winans -
to enhance our understand of Mr. Von Gunten's art work and scherenschnitte.
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©2023. Waller-Yoblonsky Fine Art is a research collaborative, working to track artists that got lost and overlooked due to time, changing styles, race, gender and/or sexual orientation. Our frequent blogs highlight artists and art movements that need renewed attention with improved information for the researcher and art collectors. The photos and blog was created by Mr. Waller and Ms. Winans. Ms. Winans' article is provided for further understanding of Mr. Von Gunten's work and scherenschnitte. All written materials were obtained by the Fair Use Section 107, of The Copyright Act.
Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI own a few of Walter's works. One is a large colorful piece that contains flowers and insects. My aunt was a friend & patron of his when he lived in Oshkosh.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Don for your comments. I write this blog to feature artist who get lost due to time or style changes. Walter's work is amazingly detailed. Thanks again for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI think it is wonderful and even though old school, when done in black against white can look very modern. What is a reasonable range to pay for his work?
ReplyDeleteMy sister's, mother and I visited him in his home in Oshkosh in the early 70's.
ReplyDeleteThey each purchased some beautiful medium sized pieces. I had just graduated from college and had very little money so I couldn't afford to make a purchase. Walter sensed my situation and told me he had a special one in mind for me. He said it was his trademark, and the smallest one he had ever done. It's a young boy on a horse in a forest setting and is only about 2 inches in diameter. He only charged me $25.00! It is circular and signed by him on the mat. I love it!
I wrote a profile of Mr. von Gunten in 1993, when I was a newspaper reporter in Pennsylvania. We spent a delightful couple of hours together as I interviewed him and he demonstrated how he worked. If you'd like to see the article, I can email you a photo of the tearsheet.
ReplyDelete