The wave (artist group)
The artist group Die Welle was an amalgamation of the six independent artists Bernhard Klinckerfuß , Paul Roloff , Emil Thoma , Karl Hermann Müller-Samerberg , Friedrich Lommel and Paula Rösler , who were looking for a way “... their pictures in their personal characteristics and to bring their value to best advantage ... ” .
The history of origin
After 1900, many artists settled in Chiemgau , including Karl Hermann Müller-Samerberg, Emil Thoma, Bernhard Klinckerfuss and Paul Roloff. They lived there for themselves, closely connected to the landscape and the people. Initially, the artists sent their works to exhibitions in the city, but since these were considered boring by the critics, some of them joined the Chiemgauer Künstlerbund and Frauenwörther groups in the 1920s . But the painters longed for more freedom, so in 1921 Klinckerfuß, Roloff, Thoma as well as Müller-Samerberg, Paula Rösler and the sculptor Friedrich Lommel founded a "free association of Chiemgau artists", which was named "Welle" at the suggestion of Anette Thoma. This related to the location of the future exhibition building. Emil Thoma, Anette's husband, developed the symbol for it.
Members
Were founding members
who were, so to speak, the engine of the group,
as well as
They were added a little later
Guest exhibitor
Not only did the founding members regularly exhibit their works of art, guests were also given the opportunity to exhibit works. Among them were the painter Lisbeth Lommel (from 1923 to 1934), the painters Benno Eggert and Heinrich Hieke (1926), painters Theodor Binter , Lucidus Diefenbach , Erich Vetter and the Stuttgart animal painter Hans Molfenter (1927), Josef Neumann and the engraver Hans Otto Schönleber with graphics, the painter Theodor Hummel , who was considered a particular asset to the group, and EE Heinsdorff (1927–1933), Oskar Martin-Amorbach (1929–1933), Max Slevogt (1929), who was respected at home and abroad , who was the Wave brought great success, painters Fritz Kuithan and Ernst Kozics (1932) and Robert Engels (1933). There were always special exhibitions. In 1925, the wave organized a commemorative exhibition with pictures by Franz Hermann Lechner , in 1928 there was a special show with a large number of pictures by Karl Hagemeister , the occasion was his 80th birthday and in 1931 there was a collective exhibition of the well-known caricaturist Erich Wilke with works on contemporary politics and culture.
history
Construction of the exhibition building
A suitable building had to be found so that exhibitions could take place in the first place. The initial attempt to use the library of the former Augustinian Canons as an art space failed, and so the artists decided in 1921 to build their own exhibition building on the archipelago in Prien Stock . The costs were passed on (Paul Roloff: "... everyone pays 10,000 marks.") And "Die Welle" received a 10-year lease that should run until April 1, 1932.
Bernhard Klinckerfuß provided the building design. The result was a simple pavilion , which was divided into an anteroom, a large main room lit by skylights and two side cabinets. The connecting walls between the anteroom and the main room could be folded back so that a large hall was created. There was also a small office room where you could stay the night.
Exhibitions 1922–1934
On July 24, 1922, the first “Welle” exhibition took place in the pavilion, where each of the nine exhibiting artists had their own wall, which they were responsible for designing. The event met with a positive response from the general public. Due to the inflation of 1923, however, the artists ran into financial difficulties. After the second exhibition, 20% of the money raised through works had to be given to the group as a commission. In the same year a first concert with the pianist Prof. August Schmid-Lindner took place in the exhibition building.
So that not only the people in the Chiemsee district could participate in their art and attract new guest exhibitors, the group organized a first traveling exhibition in 1926 and 1927; The intended stations for this were Heilbronn (December 1926), Stuttgart (January 1927), the Kunstverein Ulm (March 1927) and the Kunstverein Würzburg (May 1927). In the last year of the tour, a home presentation was planned as the end of the tour, but this could not take place because the windows and glass roof of the pavilion were destroyed by a hailstorm. Only a few weeks later, however, the reopening could be celebrated.
An event was held in 1928 in honor of the 80th birthday of the landscape painter Professor Karl Hagemeister . Karl Hagemeister comes from Markt Brandenburg, his life and works were shaped by the intense relationship with nature, as was that of the “Welle” members.
In 1929 the well-known impressionist Max Slevogt was invited to present his prints to the public. This visit brought the “wave” a lot of recognition.
The wave members were not only open to guest exhibitors, but also to new things. When they gave the first concert in 1923, it was very well received by the population, so they tried to combine this experience with their art and in 1929 set up the first “Musica Anima”, a public concert of a different kind came the new way of transmitting music via speakers. The concert-goers were enthusiastic, which led to these events becoming the norm. The town of Prien, which now had concerts to offer, also benefited from this.
The wave had brought art closer to so many people that, on June 28, 1931, she and some guests of honor such as Senior Priens, Excellency von Bomhard, the councilors Esterer and Roth, the board of the tourist office, the 1st mayor of Rosenheim and in large circles celebrated its 10th anniversary by art lovers. But despite the high attendance and the numerous guests, one can say that the "wave" always "only" had great ideal artistic success, but never really material success, because they were on their own from the start. Two years later the members launched a special exhibition with graphic works by the artist Robert Engels. In the same year, the wave's 12th art exhibition took place, and a hymn to the "wave" appeared in the Chiemgauer-Zeitung.
The End
In 1933, however, the lease for the property expired, which was extended by the city. Thus, the building with all rights went to the municipality of Prien. On June 10, 1934, the last exhibition of the wave took place in the town hall of Rosenheim. According to the Münchner-Augsburger-Zeitung, a big win for Rosenheim, but a loss for Prien. A little later the group disbanded; partly because of the protests of Rosenheim artists, but mostly because of the National Socialist conformity of the artists, for whom a free, independent group could not conform to the system.
The special thing about the group
The reason this group was able to persist in that way was because of their sincere friendship with one another. No competitive thinking, neither among the members, nor against artists who wanted to join the group. On the contrary, "... fellow artists of similar aspiration [were] always welcome [added] ..." . Everyone was able to work freely as he wanted. So that this free work was really free, everyone lived for himself in different landscapes, so you didn't get in each other's way. (No same color palette, no same motifs). Free also meant no program, no direction, no fashion to follow. Contemporary conceptions of art passed them by. One could say that what united the group was not a direction, but rather "... awe of the nature and honesty of dying" , which creates a harmony of the works, no sound disturbs. Twelve artists in four rooms and each picture contributes its part to the harmony, the pictures get along as well as the artists.
The special thing about the group was also the place where they settled, so "... [worked] the mere walk from Prien to Stock [...] as preparation ..." for the exhibition. But what you can give them the highest credit is that they never allowed themselves to be discouraged, even if they did not have any material success, after all they achieved great ideal success.
aims
The artists' association wanted “… to get out of the conventional mass exhibition system in the Glass Palace or other exhibitions in large cities; rather [they wanted] to [set up] a small but internally harmonious exhibition, in which one image does not disturb the other, but each complements the other and the whole… ” and makes it complete. The goal of an exhibition is achieved when the visitor enjoys some of the joy that the artists felt while creating.
Individual evidence
- ^ Fritz Aigner: Painter on the Chiemsee. P. 35
- ↑ a b Josef Hofmiller In: Munich Latest News. July 16, 1927
- ↑ Munich Latest News, 1923
- ^ Fritz Aigner: Painter on the Chiemsee. 1983
literature
- Fritz Aigner: Painter on the Chiemsee. Markt, Prien 1983
- Karl J. Aß: The wave. Free Association of Chiemgau Artists 1922–1934. Marktgemeinde, Prien 1997 (exhibition directory)