Alfons Abel
Alfons Abel (born January 19, 1908 in Nuremberg ; † June 28, 1994 there ) was a German glass painter . His artistic sphere of activity was mainly in Nuremberg, Middle Franconia and the Upper Palatinate, and occasionally in Upper Bavaria .
Life
Alfons Abel was the son of Christian Abel, a specialist teacher and master examiner for art glass, who ran a renowned glazier in Nuremberg.
In 1925, after completing his technical training as a glazier (with the certificate of honor from the Wittelsbach State Foundation), Alfons Abel entered the Vogt class at the State School for Applied Arts in Nuremberg . The first watercolors with Nuremberg motifs from this period were published in the Stuttgarter Illustrierte (born 1932). From 1928 to 1929 Abel studied at the Art Academy in Munich with Professor Franz Klemmer, and in 1929 he moved to the Erich Wolfsfeld class at the Berlin-Charlottenburg Art Academy . As a scholarship holder and master class student, he finished his studies there in 1931 and then worked as a freelance artist in Nuremberg.
In 1934 he set up a glass painting in Sofia / Bulgaria on behalf of the Reich Association of German Glass Paintings.
From 1942 to 1946 during his war deployment in Crete (without combat deployment) and in captivity in Egypt (under English occupation) he created numerous watercolors and some oil paintings . During his captivity, he was a lecturer at an English art school in Heliopolis .
After successful requests for release from captivity by the city of Nuremberg and by the Archbishop's Office in Bamberg, he returned to Nuremberg in 1947 with the anti-fascist transport. Since 1936 Abel and his wife made numerous study trips to most European countries. The annual travel destination after the end of the war was Greece.
Memberships
- Albrecht Dürer Association Nuremberg (since 1936)
- German Society for Christian Art (since 1936)
Awards
- 1925 Certificate of Honor from the Wittelsbach State Foundation for Art and Science
- 1935 cash prize from the Lothar von Faber Foundation.
- In 1980, as a representative of ecclesiastical art, he was received by Pope John Paul II on the occasion of his visit to Munich.
- Federal Cross of Merit, Merit Medal (September 2, 1988)
Artistic creation
In addition to glass painting, Abel's artistic repertoire consists of works in wire enamel, sgraffito, mosaic and wire sculpture. His work includes over 250 works. They can be found in churches, cemeteries, schools, companies and private households (including the Villa Grundig in Fürth / Bay) or in public facilities (including the Nuremberg town hall). Abel always carried out his designs himself. The Nuremberg press and other local newspapers followed his activity over the years.
Artistic language
Abel combines the formally strict and reductive formal language of his church windows with the architecture. His stained glass wants to take up the language of the room through the use of light and design and enrich it compositionally. The lead rib that holds the glass section together is designed as a linear drawing under the hand of the artist, which is broken by the radiance of the colored concept. Abel's glass painting thrives on the interplay of figurative clarity and overflowing luminosity. In addition, as a further enhancement, there is the choice of hand-blown antique glass from the Waldsassen glassworks, which diffuses the shimmering light with many voices thanks to the delicacy of the nuances. His imagery does not obey any aesthetic, short-lived sense of time. He sees his work as commissioned work, like the medieval cathedral building, in which the Christian message should be conveyed. Abel translates this message into human dignity, compositional power and vivid representation. The press and clients point out the comforting and reassuring message that Abel's artistic design emanates.
Church works (selection)
| 1932 | Evang. Church of the Resurrection, Nürnberg-Fischbach. Enamel altar Last Supper |
| 1932 | Catholic parish church to the Guardian Angels, Nuremberg. Altar window angel protects children |
| 1947 | Bauhütte Evang. St. Lorenz Church, Nuremberg. Repair of the rosette |
| 1948 | Evang. Oberampfrach / Ansbach church. Window The suffering and the victorious Church |
| 1950-1960 | Evang. Reformation Memorial Church, Nuremberg |
| 1950 | Parish hall. Window sequence with historical personalities |
| 1960 | Church. Baptism window in Jordan |
| 1950 | Family crypt Graf von Faber, Stein near Nuremberg. 2 Windows |
| 1951 | Evang. Christ Church, Trostberg / Opf. Round window The risen Christ |
| 1952 | Evang. St. Jacob's Church, Feucht. Altar window motifs from the life of Christ |
| 1953 | Erlangen Central Cemetery. Half-arch window motifs from the life of Christ |
| 1954-1985 | Catholic Herz-Jesu-Kirche, Nuremberg |
| 1954 | 2 windows St. Joseph. St. Theresa (Sisters' Home) |
| 1954 | Pointed arch window Baptism of Christ in the Jordan |
| 1959 | 3 choir windows of Moses. The life of Christ. The living church |
| 1959 | Portal window HL. Trinity |
| 1961 | Sacristy window |
| 1961 | Organ gallery window Angels making music |
| 1978 | Side aisle window From the Lauretan Litany |
| 1979 | Window aisle of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary |
| 1984 | Window aisle Outpouring of St. Mind |
| 1985 | Aisle window baptism in Jordan |
| 1954 | Evang. Church of Our Lady Merkendorf (Middle Franconia). Sacristy window |
| 1955 | Evang. Schwarzenbruck / Feucht Church. Arched window Lamb of God |
| 1956-1957 | Evang. Thomaskirche Nürnberg-Großreuth |
| 1956 | Arched central window Resurrection of Jesus |
| 1957 | Side arched window baptism of Jesus. Outpouring of the Holy Spirit |
| 1957 | Evang. Bartholomäuskirche, Nuremberg. Ascension Window |
| 1957-1988 | Evang. Nuremberg Almoshof Church |
| 1957 | 2 round windows bread of the world. Two angels |
| 1978 | Window spreading word of God |
| 1958 | Heuchling / Lauf cemetery chapel. 3 window of Jesus in Gethsemane. Crucifixion. resurrection |
| 1959 | Catholic Church Emskirchen. Pieta window |
| 1959 | Evang. Velden Church (near Hersbruck). 6 choir windows Ornamental stained glass |
| 1962 | Waldfriedhof Weiden / Opf., Mortuary. 8 windows, u. a. Faith. Love. hope |
| 1964 | Kath. St. Georg Church, Nuremberg, memorial room. 4 windows Pieta. Resurrection. Death. transfiguration |
| 1965 | Kath. Maria-Hilf Church, Nuremberg. Stained glass over two overall facades Secret of the Rosary. Stations of the Cross . Tabernacle enamel and copper Holy Communion |
| 1965 | Evang. Friedenskirche, Nuremberg, parish hall. Window family tree of Christ |
| 1966-1972 | Evang. Methodist Church, Nuremberg, Gugelstr. |
| 1966 | Altar window crucifixion and resurrection |
| 1970 | 4 Window Sermon on the Mount. Passion of Jesus. The lost Son. Last Judgment |
| 1968 | Catholic parish church of St. Karl Borromeo , Nuremberg-Mögeldorf. 8 choir window compositions with angels |
| 1969 | Catholic parish church Hirschau. Altar lancet window Lamb of God |
| 1973 | Church of the Wohnstift am Tiergarten, Nuremberg. Window sequence made of color compositions with figuratively depicted works of mercy |
| 1974 | Catholic rectory in Hartenstein (Franconian Switzerland). St. Martin's window |
| 1979 | Evang. Methodist Martha-Maria Hospital, Nuremberg. Window in the prayer room Come to me |
literature
- Wilhelm Schwemmer among others: The city of Nuremberg. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich 1977, ISBN 3-422-00550-1 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Information from the Order's Chancellery in the Office of the Federal President.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Abel, Alfons |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German glass painter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 19, 1908 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Nuremberg |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 28, 1994 |
| Place of death | Nuremberg |