Alfred Keller (model maker)
Alfred Keller (* 1902 , † 1955 in Berlin ) was a German model maker and dermoplastic , whose scientifically exact models of insects and other microorganisms are still unique in their technical perfection and artistic charisma.
Life
The trained blacksmith Alfred Keller worked for the Natural History Museum in Berlin from 1930 until his death . His task was to create vivid specimens 30 to 40 cm in height from tiny creatures, which were mostly unsuitable for preparation . In a side wing, the Natural History Museum presents a small selection of his works, under the heading: The famous insect models by Alfred Keller . Part of its work was destroyed during World War II. Although over 80 years old, they still meet international scientific standards, as the museum proudly notes. Using the example of his housefly , with which he was busy for almost a year, the complicated process of creating a model is shown on a photo series.
A plaster copy was made of a plasticine model , which was later doubled in paper mache (cf. Louis Auzoux's method ). Wings and bristles were made from celluloid and galalith . In the housefly z. B. are a total of 2653 bristles. The finished model was lavishly colored and in some cases was given a lifelike gold leaf .
Equipped with newer, more advanced technical means, the Hamburg designer Julia Stoess (* 1960) has followed in his footsteps with models of insects and insects; she expressly names Keller as a role model .
Works (selection)
Human flea , 1930, scale 100: 1
Housefly , 1932, scale 50: 1
Female house mosquito in flight position, 1937, scale 60: 1
Grain beetle on wheat grain
Red garden ant with maple aphid , 1944, scale 100: 1, 1947 Replica of the model destroyed in the Second World War
Brazilian humpback hippopotamus , 1953, scale 180: 1
- Colorado beetle with doll, 1940, scale 50: 1
- Garden spider
- Further works (without naming Keller) can be found elsewhere in the museum and in the magazine.
literature
- Julia Stoess: Insect models for the public. The model maker Alfred Keller as a role model . In: Oliver Zauzig, David Ludwig and Cornelia Weber (eds.): The material model . Wilhelm Fink, 2014, ISBN 978-3-7705-5696-0 , pp. 253-259 , doi : 10.30965 / 9783846756966_028 .
Web links
- Markus Falkner: The Godfather of the Garden Spider ( Memento from July 3, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) at Berliner Morgenpost.de , April 4, 2004, accessed on April 1, 2008
- Alfred Keller is working on the housefly
- An avid science tourist discovers the Natural History Museum and the work of Alfred Keller, 1991 (English)
- Gerhard Meister: Max Schmeling, Alfred Keller, Erich Weinert ( Memento from December 14, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) ( PDF ; p. 2)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hermann von Helmholtz Center for Cultural Technology: Object of the Month August 2006 - Earthworm model by Alfred Keller ( Memento from March 19, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Keller, Alfred |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German sculptor, dermoplastic, model maker, taxidermist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1902 |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1955 |
| Place of death | Berlin |