Carl Baumann (artist)

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Carl Baumann (born November 5, 1912 in Hagen ; † July 7, 1996 there ) was an artist whose creative focus for decades was on the artistic co-design of buildings in the public space of his hometown.

life and work

Born as the son of the master painter Karl Baumann in Hagen- Wehringhausen , after an apprenticeship as a painter (1926–1929) he studied sgraffito , handwriting and life drawing as well as glass and wall painting with Johan Thorn-Prikker from 1931 at the Cologne craft art school . His talent was recognized by his vocational school teacher during his training.

In 1932 Baumann returned to Hagen and worked in his parents' business. On the side, he made his first work of art in public space in ten weeks. He designed a fresco 18 meters long and 4.50 meters wide at the vocational school in Hagen-Haspe . Between 1932 and 1934 Baumann went on a journey through Germany and Italy as a journeyman painter. Then he worked on the side in a makeshift studio in the Brantenberger Mühle in Hagen.

From 1936 to 1941 he was a master student at the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts under the sculptor Professor Ludwig Gies and the landscape painter Franz Lenk , where he had contact with Walter Küchenmeister , Harro Schulze-Boysen and the sculptor Kurt Schumacher . He studied sculpture, drawing and painting. In 1941 he was drafted into military service. In autumn 1942 he was arrested by the Gestapo along with members of the Red Orchestra resistance group . He was imprisoned for five months and was then assigned to the Eastern Front in 1943. He was wounded there in 1944 and experienced the end of the war in Thuringia , after which he was taken prisoner of war.

From 1947 he lived and worked again in his hometown Hagen as a freelance painter and sculptor. Unlike his friend Emil Schumacher , Baumann could never bring himself to paint exclusively abstract.

In the years after the destruction of the Second World War and the first reconstruction, he worked as an “artist alongside the builders”. Artistic signs on buildings were bright spots of hope in difficult times. Until the end of the seventies, when the architectural and urban development activities ebbed, Baumann was committed to art in building. Art in architecture was never just about decoration; for him it was always part of the whole work of the task at hand. Dealing with and working with architects turned out to be fruitful for both sides thanks to his artistic strength.

He received many orders through competition successes throughout Germany. His estate (oil paintings and drawings) is in private hands.

Artistic work

One of his important pictures hangs in the Westphalian State Museum for Art and Cultural History, which he painted during his years in Berlin and which were saved from the National Socialists.

The Osthaus Museum Hagen contains drawings and oil paintings from 1927, 1928, 1966, 1967 and 1983.

Large works of art in the urban area of ​​Hagen

  • Sgraffito (1950) approx. 5 m × 2.5 m
    • House on the corner of Mittelstrasse / Mariengasse
    • This sgraffito is one of Carl Baumann's first works for public space in the city of Hagen. Shown are scenes from rural and industrial life in the Hagen area: a field worker with a bundle of ears and a steel stove.
  • Mural (1951) 2 × 1.5 m
    • Altenhagen cemetery chapel, Friedensstr.
    • On the wall behind the altar of the cemetery chapel in Altenhagen a standing woman is depicted, who comfortingly extends her hand to a crouching mourner.
  • Mural (1951) 2 × 5 m
    • Hagen-Delstern crematorium, room for relatives
    • For a room for relatives, the Hagen artist created a mural depicting two grieving women in front of a hilly landscape. The woman on the left stands up straight and points to an urn that stands between the two women. The woman on the right sits with her head bowed, also facing the urn. The scene is an expression of the grief that the relatives of the deceased may feel.
  • Fresco (1951) approx. 4 × 4 m
    • Janusz Korczak School, Grünstr. 4th
    • The fresco made in 1951 as art in architecture is no longer available today. Scenes from the rural world of life and work are shown.
  • Mosaic in iron frame (1954) 1.50 m × 2.30 m
    • Daycare center, Selbecker Strasse
    • A circus motif is shown. Horsemen, a lion, a juggler and a clown can be seen. The whole colorful event is vaulted by a tent-like iron band. The work is slightly damaged, some pieces of the mosaic are missing.
  • Depiction of the city of Hagen (1957) 2.14 m × 3.35 m
    • Elementary school Eckesey, Schillerstr. 23
    • In 1957 Baumann created a mural for the corridor of the Eckesey elementary school, financed with 'Kunst-am-Bau' funds. The city of Hagen is shown in bright colors on glazed clinker bricks. The town hall, the theater and various other buildings and industrial plants can be recognized. A yellow sun shines over the city.
  • Two wall mosaics (1957) 6.5 m × 10 m and 2.20 m × 3.60 m
    • Boele indoor swimming pool, Hospitalstrasse
    • In 1957, Carl Baumann created a large wall mosaic in the swimming pool of the Boele public pool. Seven sailing boats are shown at different distances. A man stands on the front boat who seems to be in touch with those sitting on the beach by waving. The second mosaic in the entrance hall shows three water sports enthusiasts playing with a ball.
  • Wall mosaic (1960) approx. 2.50 × 4 m
    • Cuno vocational school, Bergstrasse
    • The mural produced in 1960 was created as art on site for the elementary school at that time and today's vocational school. It shows sailing ships that are reflected in the water.
  • "Bird of Paradise" (1962)
    • Municipal theater
    • For the entrance hall of the municipal theater, Baumann created a colorful wall mosaic in 1962 depicting a bird of paradise. This work is typical of the 1950s and 1960s. In this respect, it can be seen as a characteristic testimony of this time. Today the mosaic is covered by a lightweight wall. Therefore, the dimensions of the work can no longer be determined.
  • Wall mosaic (1964) 2.50 × 14 m
    • town hall
    • With this monumental mural, Baumann made his contribution to the beautification of the then new town hall in 1964. The work, carried out in mosaic technique, depicts the city of Hagen.
  • Stainless steel wall (1967) approx. 3 × 13 m
    • Public utility administration building
    • In 1967, this stainless steel wall was created to embellish the outer facade of the municipal utility administration building. Different shapes have been applied to the irregular squares.
  • Stainless steel sculpture (1970) 1.50 × 25.70 m
    • Indoor swimming pool, city center
    • In 1969 Baumann received the order from the building and planning committee of the city of Hagen to deliver a work of art for the new Stadtmitte indoor swimming pool. The artist created a longitudinal relief consisting of many different sized stainless steel plates. This work is one of the few abstract works by Baumann.
  • Lead glass window (1974) 2.60 × 1.70 m
    • Forest cemetery, Hoheleye 5
    • The window is divided into six equally sized fields by strong lead rods. It shows small flames made of white glass, pointing to Pentecost, which fill a purple-colored cross, which stands out against a dark blue background.

  • Stainless steel wall at Bahnhofstrasse Hagen

  • Stainless steel relief Westfalenbad Hagen

  • Sgraffito Mariengasse Hagen

literature

  • Carl Baumann, drawings and paintings. Hagen 1989, DNB 890984050 .
  • Randi Crott , Klaus Martens (ed.): Carl Baumann - perceive. Ardenkuverlag, Hagen 2010, ISBN 978-3-942184-02-1 .
  • Christine Fischer-Defoy : Art makes politics. The Nazification of the art and music colleges in Berlin. Elefanten Press, Berlin 1988, ISBN 3-88520-271-9 , pp. 301, 335 and others.
  • Gert Rosiejka: The Red Chapel. "Treason" as anti-fascist resistance. with an introduction by Heinrich Scheel. results, Hamburg 1986, ISBN 3-925622-16-0 .
  • Michael Schuh: A quiet person and a great artist: Carl Baumann's 100th birthday. In: Westfalenpost Hagen. November 6, 2012.

family

One of Baumann's nieces is the journalist Randi Crott .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Westfälisches Landesmuseum: Artwork of the month. July 1991 . (PDF; 3.6 MB). Retrieved January 2, 2014.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Baumann, Carl
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German artist
DATE OF BIRTH November 5, 1912
PLACE OF BIRTH Hagen
DATE OF DEATH July 7, 1996
Place of death Hagen