Discover Germany | Design | Hahnemühle, Schmincke & da Vinci
Schmincke watercolour paintbox. Photo: © Schmincke
Hahnemühle. Photo: © Hahnemühle
Supplying artists with perfect tools
– in the past, present and future Creating great watercolour artwork not only takes inspiration, artistic knowledge and craftsmanship, but also the right tools: paper, paints and brushes. Hahnemühle, Schmincke and da Vinci are three highly specialised German companies with one goal: to provide artists with the best materials possible. All three have been listed German ‘brand of the century’. TEXT: JESSICA HOLZHAUSEN
Such a delicate paint as watercolour deserves the best surface possible, especially since the paper’s structure determines the overall look of paint on paper: rough textured paper often stretches the range of expression while smooth hot-pressed paper is best for finer details. “Hahnemühle watercolour papers have been in production since 1584 and the surfaces are a treat to work on, be it the hot pressed for botanical studies, the cold pressed for characterful portraits or the rough for rugged landscapes,” says Ann Kristin Nohlen, Hahnemühle’s head of marketing and communication. Hahnemühle with its more than 430 years of experience in papermaking 14 | Issue 57 | December 2017
knows exactly how important the right paper is: the company inspires and provides artists worldwide with high quality products. As the oldest paper mill in Germany, Hahnemühle combines historic knowledge and experience with modern ideas and innovations. “We take great pride in having one of the few remaining Cylinder Mould Machines left in the world,” says Ann Kristin Nohlen. “Papermaking is a skilled job and our paper craftsmen are proficient in their trade. Making high-quality pulp and using several centuries old formulas, they produce traditional high-quality artist papers.” Hahnemühle employees have developed an incomparable feeling and eye for pa-
per: “No machine can replace that. We still check every sheet of paper by hand.” But taking on new ideas and methods is also very important to consistently improve paper quality and performance. Hahnemühle for instance is now an international market leader for digital FineArt Inkjet papers, which the company has developed in the 1990s to react to a changing art market. “Overall, we manufacture to museum standards and all Hahnemühle papers are acid free, free of lignin, gelatine or pesticides. We provide papers that will last for centuries,” says Ann Kristin Nohlen. So, it is no wonder that museums and galleries are using Hahnemühle papers as well. A facsimile reproduction of Albrecht Dürer’s hare, printed on Hahnemühle paper, can for example be seen in the Albertina in Vienna. But what use has the best paper without the right paints or brushes? The German brand Schmincke is one of the market