Josef Herman - The Early Years Part III

Josef Herman's life had been one of struggle and pain but now in 1944, the German army was being tentatively pushed back through Europe and Russia. The Allies had liberated Rome, Guam, Paris and were assaulting Japan and other German ally territories. However, the War was far from over. Hitler had been industrious in his development of new and terrifying weaponry, and his latest effort would have a devastating effect on the city of London. The German Army had been developing rocket-powered missiles which would become known as Doodlebugs. This powerful and far-reaching ordinance would devastate the capital of Britain and claim more than 22,000 lives in the process. They were too fast to be destroyed with flak guns and were launched from too far away to be stopped at the source. Josef was living in London at the time and would have seen and heard the damage that these weapons would wreak on the British public. So Josef and his wife Catriona decided to get out of London for a short while, and Wales was the chosen destination. They had no idea that the small town of Ystradgynlais would be the place where his art would be synonymously linked forever.

The sun was going down over the town and an orange glow filled the streets around him, he was taking it all in when he looked across the bridge and was awestruck by the image he witnessed. The bus had arrived from the Colliery and the Miners were exiting into the street, Herman described it like confetti spreading all over the road. As they split up in their different directions to head to their homes or pubs, a small group began to cross the bridge with the lowering sun directly behind them. Josef would describe them as moving shadows with a halo of light encircling them. This was his Eureka moment. He knew that this had to be the direction he took his work and would be the subject that would feed his hunger for creativity. He was no longer on holiday, he was there to work and to live.

He would capture the workers coming home, he would capture them leaving, he would even go into the mine and sketch them working and resting on breaks. It was an endless stream of subjects for him. He didn't just limit his time in Wales to the Miners and town of Ystradgynlais. Josef would venture into the hills and mountains to capture landscapes and nature. In the winter the white ponies would come down from the mountains and he would interact with them and of course, sketch them. In spite of the many subjects available to him, his first love would always be the human spirit and this would hold a deep fascination for him, especially the working person, whether it be Miner, Farmer, Fishermen or women, Josef would immortalise them all. The people of Ystradgynlais knew this and he was welcomed as one of their own. Three weeks would become eleven years and cover the most iconic and creative period of his work. He felt a deep connection to Wales and it was reciprocated by the people, he was given the nickname 'Joe Bach' which meant 'little or small Joe'. It was a term of endearment from the locals because in the Welsh language 'Bach' doesn't just mean 'small' it also means 'dear' which meant he was accepted and included by them.

Herman had everything he wanted in Wales, he fell in love with it and would wax lyrical about its treasures many years later in several interviews. He likened it to Provence for the variance in light. He said that Monet had visited Provence to capture the changeable light in his work, but to him Wales was Provence. It gave him so many different views and so many aspects of colour and light that he never tired of what the Country had to give him.

In this early period of his stay in Wales Josef experimented with mediums and delved into working in Pastels. This would be a really enjoyable experiment for him to work in this way. Pastels are notoriously delicate and difficult to work with. One wrong move and it takes a lot to correct it. Herman wanted to get away from the liquidity of paint and to feel another texture with his work. For the next three years, the pastel experiment would be something that Josef would explore. The Tate has one of his favourite Pastels from this time in their collection. Josef didn't see pastels as an extension of his painting he viewed them as a medium of their own and he felt that this medium suited his style very much. 

During the Welsh years, Josef would sell his work back in London. He already had a well-received show in London's famous LaFevre gallery where he showed alongside Laurence Stephen Lowry and it was during this show that one man bought several of his drawings and paintings. That man was Gustav Delbanco. Two years later in 1945, Josef was in London again on gallery business in Cork Street, which at the time was the epicentre of quality art in Britain. As he strolled down the busy side street which ran parallel to the world famous fashion locale Saville Row, he walked past a gallery called Roland, Browse and Delbanco. He recognised the name Delbanco as the chap who had bought several of his works a few years earlier so he decided to go in and see if it was the same person. It was. This began a crucial relationship for Josef Herman which would last 40 years. Josef exhibited every three years with Roland, Browse and Delbanco and this gallery can be credited with managing Josef's work in a clinical and proper manner. They raised his public profile and placed his work in front of some of the best and most avid collectors in Europe and the world.

Miners (1951) by Josef Herman at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery (Image: Glynn Vivian Art Gallery)

In 1945 the Second World War was almost over but a new conflict was rising for Josef. Catriona had suffered the loss of the couple's baby and had gone into a severe depression, which lasted for years. Josef did his best to help her recover, he loved her dearly and it was heartbreaking for him to see his wife become unrecognisable. Josef tried everything to help her but a lack of money and understanding regarding mental health in the 1940s meant that there was very little he could do. Catriona would eventually become infirm and unable to walk and Josef did his best to look after her. He later said that Catriona never fully recovered from the depression, she was changed in a very impactful way. In 1951 after six years of care for Catriona Josef had come into some money after he won the Festival of Britain prize and on the back of some good sales he finally had the resources to get some professional help for her. He spent as much as he could on Doctors in Switzerland and Jersey to try and help her recover but sadly it was all for nought. Josef credited one Psychoanalist with eventually bringing Catriona out of the depression, she finally began to walk once more, but the two of them felt very differently about one another now. In 1954 after nearly a decade of an impossible situation they divorced.