Fritz Krcal

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fritz Krcal (born November 7, 1888 in Bregenz , † January 29, 1983 in Bregenz; also Friedrich Krcal ) was an Austrian painter.

Life

The 19-year-old son of a Protestant pastor met the impressionist Charles Palmié - a student and friend of the impressionist Claude Monet - painted with him in 1907 and decided to pursue an artistic career. After graduating from high school ( Matura ) the following year, on study trips to northern Germany, he worked intensively on landscape painting in the great outdoors ( plein air ). Subsequently (1909–1911) the musically talented Fritz Krcal studied painting with Johann Becker-Gundahl , Gabriel von Hackl , Heinrich Knirr and Franz von Stuck and art history with Franz Burger at the Munich Academy . At the academy he changed his painting style, but was otherwise little influenced by his teachers and was mainly concerned with questions of art theory and music.

From 1911 he occupied himself with fashion drawing , dance (the Sacharoffs ), stage design ( Parsifal ) and finally went to Paris , where he had close contacts with the Fauvists and Cubists and got to know Kees van Dongen , Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall better. The abundance of new impressions and especially personalities from the art and theater world sparked new interests in Fritz Krcal. In addition to his training at the academy , he worked as a set designer at the Paris Opera . The outbreak of the First World War interrupted his career with a three-year forced internment in the south of France.

In 1917 Krcal came to Switzerland, where he met many important musicians ( Ferruccio Busoni , Elly Ney , Volkmar Andreae ) and writers ( Rainer Maria Rilke , Stefan Zweig , Rudolf Steiner ). He created nudes that emphasize the outline of his teacher Henri Matisse. He also recorded his impressions from his time in Paris in portraits and landscapes with brightly expressive colors with a penchant for the decorative and theatrical. The ideas developed by Steiner preoccupied him, since in anthroposophy one was looking for harmony (state of “cosmic calm”) between color, form and so-called “image sounds”. In 1919/1921 he went on study trips to Italy (Ligurian coast, Florence, Siena, Milan and finally Genoa). The modern trends in Italy such as those of the Milanese artist group Novecento and the Pittura Metafisica influenced his painting style, which in the 1920s approached Magical Realism .

In 1926 Krcal returned to his hometown Bregenz. He exhibited his works at events organized by the artist group Der Kreis, founded by Rudolf Wacker and other artists from the Lake Constance area in the same year . In many portraits he referred to the painting of the Trecento and Quattrocento . In addition, charcoal drawings and study sheets showed his artist's life as a vegetable grower and beekeeper in the small village of Nack, which was shaped by the post-war misery.

From the mid-1930s, the influence of Nazi art became increasingly evident in Krcal's murals. Krcal's relationship to National Socialism is discussed controversially. His supporters admit that they were initially blinded by Nazi ideology and that they hoped for a position in teaching in his difficult economic situation. It was only later that he recognized the real goals of National Socialism with great disappointment and broke with them. The other side demands the rededication of a path named after him, as he was not only a member of the NSDAP (since 1939), but also held three function offices (press manager, cultural manager and block manager). Although he resigned this in 1943, it was not in protest against National Socialism and there was no resignation from the party.

In his early days Krcal painted impressionist and pointillist . In Bregenz, Krcal developed his personal style and used wax colors more often. His most mature works were created after the Second World War. He also received public contracts for murals and stained glass windows , e.g. B. the murals in the elementary school Bregenz-Augasse and the stained glass windows of the Fatima chapel in Stollen (municipality of Langen near Bregenz ).

literature

  • Gabriela Krist, Helmut Swozilek (eds.): Fritz Krcal (1888-1983). The painter's estate in the Vorarlberg State Museum. Restorations and technical examinations. Vorarlberger Landesmuseum , Böhlau Verlag, Vienna 2006, ISBN 978-3-205-77471-6 ( excerpt from GoogleBooks )
    • Article: Gabriela Krist: The cooperation between museum and university , p. 7
    • Article: Helmut Swozilek: About Fritz Krcal (1888-1983) , p. 16, and Fritz Krcal's biography , p. 18
    • Article: Martina Spiegl: Fritz Krcal. The painter's estate in the Vorarlberg State Museum , p. 22
    • Article: Tatjana Bayerova: Comments on the artist's painting technique and painting materials , p. 39

Web links

Commons : Fritz Krcal  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ see the Vorarlberger Chronik web link
  2. ↑ a b c d e see literature article Helmut Swozilek: About Fritz Krcal (1888-1983)
  3. ↑ a b c d e f see link article Vorarlberger Chronik Fritz Krcal (1888-1983)
  4. ↑ see web link Elmar Haller: The 2003 Christmas stamp is presented.
  5. ↑ see web link ORF Vbg NSDAP member: Debate about Fritz-Krcal-Weg
  6. ↑ see web link Fritz Krcal in the Vorarlberg School Media Center (further information)
personal data
SURNAME Krcal, Fritz
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Krcal, Friedrich
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian painter
DATE OF BIRTH November 7, 1888
PLACE OF BIRTH Bregenz
DATE OF DEATH January 29, 1983
Place of death Bregenz