Erich Müller (sculptor)

Erich Müller (born December 28, 1909 in Helbersdorf , † December 11, 1976 in Dresden ) was a German sculptor and artist.

Life

Erich Müller was born the son of a metal lathe operator and a seamstress; he was one of the couple's six children. As a child he picked up a carving knife and took part in the Christmas exhibitions of the Erzgebirge carving association in Chemnitz . From the age of twelve he attended the State Toy School in Grünhainichen , founded in 1874 and headed by Professor Alwin Seifert, once a week and after completing elementary school . In 1921 he won the first prize of the Kunstgewerbeverein zu Chemnitz in the competition for self-made toys. In 1924, Professor Theodor Artur Winde became aware of Müller and brought him to his specialist class at the State Academy for Applied Arts in Dresden, where Müller studied until 1928.

His studies also took him to Vienna and Berlin, where he learned the trade as a stone sculptor (journeyman examination 1931). In 1932 he returned to Winde and was promoted as a master class student. From 1934 Erich Müller worked as a freelancer in Dresden. He was regularly entrusted with commissions for the Dresden Folk Art Museum by Professors Oskar Seyffert and Reinhold Langner . After a study trip to Italy (1936), World War II and imprisonment (1946), Müller continued his artistic work in 1947 and married.

Müller's activities were very diverse. He created an abundance of animal sculptures, individual figures and group scenes, such as the "Garden of Eden" with more than 150 animals. His colored crib figures in a concise design language enjoyed great popularity. These approx. 40 centimeter tall figures were acquired from the churches in Dresden-Plauen and Saalfeld , for example . He also made models of typical Saxon house shapes with documentary fidelity based on monument preservation templates.

style

Erich Müller's wooden sculptures, which were mainly created in smaller formats, are characterized by the economical use of all technical means, design appropriate to the material, concentration on the essentials in content and form, realism and folklore. Müller avoided belittling genre carving like those that were to be found in the Ore Mountains and the Rhön during his time .

Wooden reliefs

On behalf of the state, Müller carved large-format wooden reliefs from linden wood, for example 52 reliefs for a kindergarten in Radeberg (1953) and six reliefs for the children's portal on the north side of the Kreuzkirche Dresden (1955–1956).

Working for the church

Erich Müller created the organ prospectuses for the church in Mauersberg (1951–1952) and for the Evangelical Academy Meißen (1955), the relief for the church in Großdittmannsdorf (1960), the large altar wall for the church in Arnsfeld (1963–1964) and the winged altar for the church in Reichenbach in Vogtland .

exhibition

The Museum für Volkskunst Dresden organized an exhibition in 1978 with works by Erich Müller in memory of the carver and sculptor who died in 1976 - the museum has the most extensive collection of works by Erich Müller in its holdings.

literature

• Johannes Just: Erich Müller - Exhibition to the memory of the wood carver. Publisher: State Art Collections Dresden, Museum of Folk Art. Design: Karl Lange. Format A5, 32 pages, with numerous illustrations (black and white), Dresden 1978

Individual evidence

1. ^ Winde, Theodor Artur ( Memento from October 26, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
2. ↑ Manfred Bachmann: The wood carver Erich Müller - an artist from the people. P. 6–8 in: Johannes Just: Erich Müller - Exhibition on the memory of the wood carver. Publisher: State Art Collections Dresden, Museum of Folk Art. Design: Karl Lange. Format A5, 32 pages, with numerous illustrations (black and white), Dresden 1978
3. ↑ DNB 860208206

Web links

• Literature by and about Erich Müller in the catalog of the German National Library