Georg Hempel (artist)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Georg Hempel's house in Steenkamp Rosenwinkel (2020)
Exhibition on Georg Hempel 100 years of the Steenkamp settlement
Exhibition on Georg Hempel in the Steenkampsiedlung (2020)
Street sign for Georg Hempel 2020

Georg Hempel (born September 28, 1894 in Hamburg ; † December 30, 1969 ) was a German cutter , painter and artisan.

life and work

Georg Hempel was born in Hamburg-Altona in 1894 . He was a soldier in World War I and began cutting paper in the trenches and shelters .

He quickly became so well known that in 1921 Westermann's monthly magazine reported extensively on him. In the same year Hempel married his wife Emmy (1895-1959) and in 1923 moved with her to the Steenkampsiedlung in the street Im Winkel 27 (now Rosenwinkel 27), a housing project for war returnees. He stayed here until the end of his life. He earned his living mainly with paper cuttings, book illustrations and handicrafts. Given the generally poor economic situation, it would have been extremely difficult for a young family. Nevertheless, Hempel decided to live as a freelance artist. He had no artistic training and was self-taught .

He was very close to the German Workers' Youth and the Wandervogel movement and adorned numerous publications with his paper cuttings that followed this line. He also worked again and again with Hermann Claudius . Hempel felt connected to the workforce and came from the trade union environment. In 1930 Hempel designed the book of stories "Der Busch" by B. Traven for the Gutenberg Book Guild . That was significant work. Traven was extremely important to the success of the book guild as a writer at the time.

Hempel's style changed significantly from his early beginnings to his later work. Freed from the constraints of commissioned work, he found his artistic form without retaining the usual sweet and romantic echoes of the paper cut. After the Second World War, his design language became more and more abstract. At that time he had accepted a permanent position at the Hamburg employment office. He continued to work as an artist on the side. His work became more and more radical. They no longer corresponded to contemporary tastes and were difficult to sell. Nevertheless, he remained true to his artistic beliefs. Ultimately, however, it was precisely his abstract late work in 1992 that prompted the Museum of Art and Industry to include Hempel's artistic estate in the graphic collection.

In 2012 the SPD- related publishing house Vorwärts published “ Das vorwärts Liederbuch ” with Georg Hempel's silhouette on the cover .

Publications

  • Article in Westermann's monthly magazine , October 1921
  • Book title and design by Georg Hempel for the publishing house of the book buying and selling cooperative Hammerbrook: Hamburger Jugendlieder , 1922
  • Book title and design by Georg Hempel for Dat Nordwestdütsche Dürerhus, Bremen: Bodderlicker, sett di! , Hermann Claudius , 1924
  • Postcard for the International Youth Convention in Amsterdam Pentecost 1926
  • Portfolio with eight paper cuts for the publishing house of the book buying and selling cooperative Hammerbrook: Allerhand Lüd! , 1929
  • Book title and design by Georg Hempel for the Gutenberg Book Guild: Der Busch von B. Traven , 1930
  • Book title by Georg Hempel for Donat Verlag: "For friendship, solidarity and social justice" Luise Nordhold Biography of a social democrat 1917–2011 by Tim Jesgarzewski and Helmut Donat
  • Book title by Georg Hempel for the Vorwärts publishing house: “Das vorwärts Liederbuch”, 2012, ISBN 978-3-86602-907-1

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Westermanns monthly notebooks October 1921
  2. ^ Georg Hempel Collection in the Museum of Art and Industry in Hamburg
personal data
SURNAME Hempel, Georg
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German artist and cutter
DATE OF BIRTH September 28, 1894
PLACE OF BIRTH Hamburg
DATE OF DEATH December 30, 1969
Place of death Hamburg