Ewald Büngener

Ewald Büngener (born October 3, 1916 in Altenhundem ; † October 26, 1953 there ), was a German sculptor .

Life

His parents were the master shoemaker Josef Büngener from Cobbenrode and his wife Ida. The three brothers Hubert, Josef and Gottfried grew up with him. After attending the elementary school in Altenhundem, Büngener first completed an apprenticeship as a legal assistant and then attended the commercial school .

His artistic talent showed in a carved wooden body of Christ for a room cross. The work convinced the poet and painter Josefa Berens-Totenohl , who also encouraged young talents . She recommended him to the sculptor Albert Mazotti in Münster for an apprenticeship. Büngener was later very enthusiastic about the three-year training. Years of labor service and military service followed. He was wounded and taken prisoner of war .

In 1946 Büngener married his wife Lotte. He set up his studio in the “Alte Mühle” residential building in Altenhundem. Büngener died on October 26, 1953, he was only 37 years old.

plant

Nepomuk figure on the Lenne bridge

One of his most famous works is the Nepomuk figure on the Lennebrücke in Grevenbrück . The 2.20 meter high shell limestone statue was created by him in 1949 as a free re-creation of the previous sculpture. This is said to have been created in the 16th century by the Prague sculptor Ferdinand Maximilian Brokoff ; it sank when the Lenne bridge was blown up in 1945. The grace of the figure and the abundance of suffering and humility of the face embody the Christian faith of the sculptor Ewald Büngener and his technical and artistic talent in a special way.

Another work by Büngener is the stele erected in the Altenhundem cemetery to commemorate the death of the master painter and Kolping brother Peter Breitenbach. Breitenbach lost his life with the child on January 7, 1937 while trying to save a schoolchild from the floods of the Lenne . The relief created from shell limestone embodies the Easter message. Below is the picture of Peter Breitenbach fighting the floods.

Other works by Büngner include a bronze miner's statue in the entrance hall of the Sachtleben mine in Meggen , a figure of the Madonna with child (private property in Lennestadt-Saalhausen ), and a wooden relief of St. Michael in the Michael's Chapel in Altenhundem.

source

• Jochen Krause: Ewald Büngener. Images of deep piety. In: Menschen der Heimat Part II Olpe 1987, pp. 306-311

Individual evidence

1. ^ Portrait of Albert Mazotti in the Münster Wiki
2. ↑ Panoramic photo of the Peter Breitenbach memorial stele .
3. ↑ Photo of the Madonna of the Saalhauser Bote
4. ^ Panoramic relief photo of St. Michael