Makarska, is a color aquatint and etching created about 1945 by Austrian-born printmaker, Max Pollak. Makarska is pencil signed and titled in the lower margin and is editioned 12/20. It was printed by the artist on simile-vellum ivory wove paper and the platemark measures 15-5/8 x 9-7/8 inches. It is stamped on the verso: Made in Austria.
Makarska is a port town on Croatia's Dalmatian coast and is the main destination of the Makarska Riviera, situated between the Biokovo Mountain and Adriatic Sea. The town evolved in a natural harbor bordered by the Osejava cape in the southeast and the Sveti Petar Peninsula in the northwest. Today Makarska is a tourist destination noted for its beaches, seafront promenade and nightlife. This harbor view of Makarska features the boardwalk, the classic buildings, St. Mark's Cathedral, sailboats, and the looming Biokovo Mountain. The beauty of the town is reflected in the placid waters of the harbor.
Max Pollak, painter and printmaker, was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1886. He was raised in Vienna and, in 1902, he entered the Vienna Academy of Art where he studied under William Unger and Ferdinand Schmutzer. In 1912, Pollak traveled to Italy, France, and Holland to study and paint. During the First World War, he was appointed painter of the Austrian Army.
He immigrated to the United States in 1927, living for a time on the east coast where he produced a series of color aquatints of New York, Cincinnati, and Detroit. His first exhibition was at the 57th Street Art Gallery in New York and he was commissioned by Theodore Dreiser in 1929 to illustrate his book, My City. In 1938, Pollak and his wife, Friedl, moved to San Francisco, California. Pollak was inspired by his new city and its environs and produced beautiful views of San Francisco Bay Area. Later travels included trips to Mexico and Guatemala.
Max Pollak was a member of the Chicago Society of Etchers and the California Society of Etchers. His work is represented in the collections of the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, Berkeley, California; the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, University of Oregon, Eugene; the British Museum, London; the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New York Public Library, New York; the Oakland Museum of California Art; the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, California; and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.
