Dimensions: 23 x 31 cm
signed lower left: 'Friedr. Iwan'
Biography
He began his artistic education at the age of 14 at the School of Fine Arts in Wrocław, where he studied from 1903 to 1908. He continued his studies from 1910 to 1914 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin-Charlottenburg, where he learned printmaking techniques under Hans Meyer and collaborated with the Potsdam printer W. Braun. He developed his own method—which he continually refined—for creating color etchings printed from a single plate. Drafted in 1914, he fought on the fronts of World War I for four years. Wounded, he returned to Berlin. In 1921, after getting married, he moved to Karpacz, where he lived in Wilcza Poręba, and in 1924 he bought a house in Jelenia Góra, where he lived until his expulsion in 1946. He created landscapes, mainly of the Karkonosze Mountains. His colorful etchings found buyers throughout Germany. They also served as models for postcards, which were often published in series (such as *Colorful Etchings from the Karkonosze Mountains*—*Farbige Radierungen aus dem Riesengebirge von Friedrich Iwan*, published by Max Leipelt in Cieplice). Iwan was also the creator of numerous commemorative and special-occasion prints. The artist was an outdoor painter, a hiker, and an avid skier. He spent the winter months hiking with a backpack, in which he always carried his painting supplies. He was particularly known for his winter landscapes.
