Lion studies
pencil
Wilhelm Kuhnert (German, 1865-1926)
Lion studies
pencil
signed and dated 'W. Kuhnert 99' (lower right)
9 1/2 x 12 1/4 in. (24.2 x 31.2 cm)
Kuhnert trained under the animal painter Paul Meyerheim in Berlin, where he first mastered the art of rendering animal fur, hair, and muscles. His talents were noted by his teachers, who advised him to devote himself entirely to animal painting. Enthusiastically taking their advice, and in pursuit of this subject, he traveled extensively in Africa and the East where he was captivated by the wild beauty of these landscapes, ultimately devoting his career and artistic talent to the depiction of exotic wildlife.
A keen hunter, he returned to Africa and the Far East year after year in the hunt for both game and subjects for his art, winning him the accolade of the writer and critic J.G. Millais, who enthused that:
`...there is no finer exponent of African mammals than Wilhelm Kuhnert. We who have traveled do not need to be told that his studies from nature are correct. His lions, elephants, zebras and antelopes are so real that we feel we are gazing at them on the plains of East Africa. The landscapes are simple but intense. Sunlight is there, and the tree and grass are just those that grow in the habitat of these species. Kuhnert has, as it were, got inside the very skin of African life, and draws you insensibly within the charmed circle. To the big game hunter - the man who loves to observe in preference to the man who only shoots - his views of wild life are complete because you know he has been through the mill himself, and studies with humility'.
As a draughtsman Kuhnert was supreme, working up his compositions quickly so he could capture the essence of his subjects before they moved away. These drawings show the passion for his wide ranging subject, and are a fascinating insight into the mind of the artist as he worked on ideas that would later be reproduced in his finished oils.