Christian Neureuther (ceramist)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Christian Neureuther

Christian Neureuther (born January 19, 1868 in Untersotzbach , Hesse ; † January 18, 1921 in Schlierbach , Hesse) was an important ceramic artist and inventor of the " Wächtersbacher Art Nouveau " . The all-rounder Neureuther shaped the art editions of Waechtersbacher ceramics from the beginning of the 20th century until 1920.

Career

Neureuther was born on January 19, 1868 in Untersotzbach, today a district of Birstein . His parents were the local resident and master carpenter Johannes Neureuther (* March 5, 1843, Untersotzbach; † October 21, 1914, Schlierbach) and Katharina Hofmann (* February 28, 1845, † January 4, 1911, Schlierbach), a daughter of the miller Christian Hofmann from Untersotzbach. After graduating from elementary school in Untersotzbach, Christian Neureuther joined the Waechtersbach stoneware factory on October 30, 1882 as an apprentice enamel painter. After completing his four-year apprenticeship, he continued his training at the Lichte drawing, painting and modeling school in Thuringia with Lorenz Hutschenreuther in 1886/1887 at the expense of the Wächtersbach stoneware factory and with the permission of the factory owner, Prince Ferdinand Maximilian zu Ysenburg . Then he is listed in the factory and rent chamber files as a draftsman. Finally, from 1892 onwards, again supported by his employer, he attended the Royal School of Applied Arts in Munich , which he left in the summer of 1893 with “excellent certificates”.

Neureuther married Margarethe Emma Kraft, the daughter of the cooper August Kraft, on May 7, 1897 in Birstein. On April 3, 1898 his daughter Emmy Maria Neureuther was born. She later followed her father on his artistic path. Christian Neureuther remained connected to the Wächtersbach stoneware factory until his death. He died on January 18, 1921 in Schlierbach.

Act

Fortuna, goddess of luck, Christian Neureuther, around 1890,

After training as a draftsman in Lichte, Christian Neureuther returned to the Waechtersbach stoneware factory. Already from his student days, but also from the first years afterwards, there is an abundance of drawings with different subjects, but also a figurative representation of Fortuna. These years are probably the years of self-discovery and self-determination of Neureuther's position.

Neureuthers first Art Nouveau designs can be found in 1897 in “Art and Crafts”. The first products from Wächtersbacher Keramik, which clearly relate to Neureuthers floral decorative strips from arts and crafts, appeared in 1899. During this time and well after 1900, the following decors from Neureuthers hand are known: dandelion, tulips, iris, quendel and a few others .

Around 1900 he made contact with the Darmstadt artists' colony on Mathildenhöhe around Joseph Maria Olbrich and Hans Christiansen . Inspired by them "... he invented a completely new design language that went down in art history as" Wächtersbacher Jugendstil ". From 1900 Neureuther took part in the Darmstadt exhibition "A Document of German Art" .

In the Waechtersbach stoneware factory, handicrafts were produced in the Neureuther ceramics studio

On April 1, 1901, Christian Neureuther founded the ceramic studio Wächtersbach Christian Neureuther . From this point on he drew his ceramic works with the Princely Ysenburg coat of arms and the letters KAWCN (Ceramic Atelier Waechtersbach Christian Neureuther). From 1903 the studio worked as an independent ceramic art department within the Wächtersbach stoneware factory under Christian Neureuther.

Christian Neureuther's pioneering designs were an essential reason for the rapid development of the Wächtersbacher stoneware factory, which was also able to leave its competitor Villeroy & Boch far behind. The enormous increase in the number of decors, from 1901 to around 1905, that left his studio every day is remarkable. It can be assigned using the decor numbers and achieved around 11 decors per day during this time, with constant performance over the years. Even in the following decade and a half until his death, Neureuther was able to shine with an impressive creative power.

Wall plate, around 1906

A recurring element in Neureuthers design language is a spiral ornament already found in primitive peoples. The ivy leaf, known from ancient Greek ceramics, is one of Neureuther's lineages. He combines the motifs in a variety of ways. Hearts, points and multi-finger leaves of various kinds also appear. Neureuther rarely followed modern trends, but was a trendsetter of his time. Christian Neureuther's trademarks are the initials C and N. They adorned and adorned, somewhat cautiously, but still clearly recognizable today, a large number of his products and drawings over a good two decades of his work.

Awards (selection)

  • Gold medal, Fulda, 1904
  • Gold medal, St. Louis, 1904
  • Golden State Medal, Kassel, 1905

Aftermath, collections

After Christian Neureuther's death, the ceramics department was continued for eight years under the direction of Eduard Schweitzer. For many years Schweitzer leaned “closely on Neureuther's decor line” and “Schweitzer continued to use the product brand of the ceramic studio Wächtersbach Christian Neureuther for the time being”.

Numerous pieces from the Christian Neureuther era can be found in the following holdings of historical Waechtersbach ceramics:

  • Hessian State Museum Kassel
  • Hessian State Museum Darmstadt
  • Vonderau Museum, Fulda
  • Museum of Applied Arts, Frankfurt am Main
  • Jever Castle Museum
  • Lindenhof Museum, Brachttal-Streitberg
  • Brachttal Museum, Brachttal-Spielberg
  • Wächtersbach local history museum

literature

  • Volker Kirchner: Christian Neureuther on his 150th birthday. How Art Nouveau came to Wächtersbach and became "Wächtersbach Art Nouveau" , in collections on the history of Wächtersbach, 2017 edition.
  • Neureuther, Christian (Publisher: Strauch & Zahn, Hamburg): Ornaments (10 sheets + title). Hamburg / Schlierbach probably 1900/01.
  • Mülot, Nora (ed.): Waechtersbach and the Atelier Christian Neureuther 1903 to 1921 , ET 01/2017.
  • Wächtersbach stoneware - 180 years . Brachttal-Museum (eds.), 2015, Ulrich Berting and Erich Neidhardt ISBN 978-3-00-049175-7 .
  • Wächtersbacher Stoneware - The First Years , Ed. Museum and History Association Brachttal. eV, 2020, Ulrich Berting and Erich Neidhardt ISBN 978-3-9821275-0-7
  • Wächtersbacher Stoneware - The Twenties , Ed. Museum and Geschichtsverein Brachttal eV 2011, Ulrich Berting and Marcus Schlüssler ISBN 978-3-00-036321-4
  • Wächtersbacher earthenware - figures and figurative objects , published by Museums- und Geschichtsverein Brachttal eV 2007, Ulrich Berting and Erich Neidhardt
  • Museum Kurhaus Kleve (Ed.): Exhibition catalog Trends in German Ceramics 1905-1935 - From Art Nouveau to Bauhaus . Kleve 2012

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Volker Kirchner: Christian Neureuther on the 150th birthday. How Art Nouveau came to Wächtersbach and became "Wächtersbach Art Nouveau" , in collections on the history of Wächtersbach, 2017 edition, pp. 7–9
  2. ^ Volker Kirchner: Christian Neureuther on the 150th birthday. How Art Nouveau came to Wächtersbach and became "Wächtersbach Art Nouveau" , in Collections on the History of Wächtersbach, 2017 edition, p. 13
  3. ^ Volker Kirchner: Christian Neureuther on the 150th birthday. How Art Nouveau came to Wächtersbach and became "Wächtersbach Art Nouveau" , in collections on the history of Wächtersbach, 2017 edition, pp. 9-20
  4. ^ Volker Kirchner: Christian Neureuther on the 150th birthday. How Art Nouveau came to Wächtersbach and became "Wächtersbach Art Nouveau" , in Collections on the History of Wächtersbach, 2017 edition, p. 25
  5. ↑ https://www.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/helios/fachinfo/www/kunst/digilit/artjournals/kunst_handwerk.html
  6. ^ Volker Kirchner: Christian Neureuther on the 150th birthday. How Art Nouveau came to Wächtersbach and became "Wächtersbach Art Nouveau" , in Collections on the History of Wächtersbach, 2017 edition, p. 34
  7. ^ Hille / Berting: Brochure for the exhibition "Christian Neureuther - The inventor of the Wächtersbacher Jugendstil - for the 150th birthday" , Brachttal Museum
  8. ^ Volker Kirchner: Christian Neureuther on the 150th birthday. How Art Nouveau came to Wächtersbach and became "Wächtersbach Art Nouveau" , in collections on the history of Wächtersbach, 2017 edition, pp. 54–55
  9. ↑ "Unique variety of decor presented, Dr. Friedhelm Kühn presents database with jewelry from the Wächtersbacher Steingutfabrik ”, GNZ, February 27, 2015
  10. ↑ . "" Dec 4711 "on the trail" Dr. Friedhelm Kühn talks about decors and figures from Wächtersbacher Keramik, GT, February 27, 2015
  11. ^ Volker Kirchner: Christian Neureuther on the 150th birthday. How Art Nouveau came to Wächtersbach and became "Wächtersbach Art Nouveau" , in Collections on the History of Wächtersbach, 2017 edition, p. 40
  12. ^ "Ceramics of the" Roaring Twenties "", GNZ, January 25, 2020
personal data
SURNAME Neureuther, Christian
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German art nouveau artist and painter
DATE OF BIRTH January 19, 1868
PLACE OF BIRTH Untersotzbach
DATE OF DEATH January 18, 1921
Place of death Schlierbach