Georg Jahn

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Georg Jahn (born May 5, 1869 in Meißen , † November 18, 1940 in Loschwitz ) was a German painter and graphic artist. In his 40-year career, he created over 350 etchings that contributed to the renaissance of artistic graphics in Dresden around 1900.

Georg Jahn in his studio around 1899

Georg Jahn's reception story

The lost generation

Like his contemporaries in Dresden, Paul Baum , Georg Erler , Otto Fischer , Georg Lührig , Richard Müller , Sascha Schneider , Robert Sterl , Hans Unger , Walter Zeising and Oskar Zwintscher , the artist Georg Jahn belongs to that " lost generation " of artists 1900, which had a significant influence on the art scene in Dresden, but due to the fast pace of the following style developments, art-historically forgotten. Georg Jahn is one of the few who has remained known in collectors' circles over time.

The prints in Dresden during Georg Jahn's lifetime

At the beginning of the 1870s, in Georg Jahn's youth, after the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, a stormy cultural development began in the royal seat of Dresden. At the Dresden Art Academy and among the independent artists, there was still a contrast between the composers from Munich, who paid homage to late Nazarene-classicist cardboard art , and the Düsseldorfers, who long outdated themselves, devoted themselves to literary and historical material and were considered colorists, such as the painter Julius Hübner and Adolph Ehrhardt, who mostly painted according to “school recipes”.

The Academic Council, Dresden's conservative municipal art authority, and especially Ernst Hähnel , promoted the classical idealistic line at the academy until the last quarter of the 19th century. This influential institution was opposed to aspirations that were realistic or modern-coloristic and were also called "picturesque".

With the appointment of Belgian Ferdinand Pauwels in 1876, who worked at the Art Academy in Weimar until 1872 , a representative of moderate colorism came to Dresden. He took over the head of the master's studio for history and genre painting and moved the outstanding portraitist Leon Pohle to Dresden in 1877, who introduced the students to the new painting direction in the academy's painting room. The contrast between the idealistic and the new realistic direction in the Dresden art scene became increasingly clear.

Georg Jahn came into this tension when the Meißner Porzellanmanufaktur sent him to the Dresden Art Academy as a scholarship holder .

It was not until the devastating criticism of Dresden's contribution to art at the International Art Exhibition in Berlin in 1891 that the leading circles in Dresden were able to allow reforms with the aim of free development of all modern trends. The artistic graphic arts in Dresden only experienced a renewal in the nineties.

Georg Jahn. Portrait of Max Pietschmann

Just as the painters Millet , Rousseau and Corot once devoted themselves to the study of nature in the forest of Fontainebleau , from around 1890 young Dresden artists met in the Gerbergrund, an idyllic valley near Goppeln near Dresden, especially in spring to study nature, like Paul Schumann in one The essay on Dresden painting recorded:

Georg Jahn. Portrait of Georg Müller-Breslau

“In this endeavor, the painters Carl Bantzer , Paul Baum, Wilhelm Georg Ritter , Georg Müller-Breslau , Wilhelm Claudius , Georg Lührig, Max Pietschmann , Carl Mediz , Emilie Mediz-Pelikan , and later Robert Sterl, Hans Unger and Sascha came together Schneider, Richard Müller and Georg Jahn. "

- Paul Schumann : painting. In: Famous Art Places. Volume 46, Dresden 1922, p. 289

Soon the opposing views of the artists towards the old art cooperative became so great that in February 1894 they founded a new artists' association in the Saxon residence, the " Association of Fine Artists Dresden (Secession) ".

This marked the beginning of a comprehensive reform of all of Dresden's art life in 1895, which was expressed in its local form until 1914 in characteristic works in the styles of neo-romanticism , neoclassicism , neo-impressionism , bridge painter and art nouveau , and thus made a valuable contribution to German painting as a whole.

Artistic development history

Meißner porcelain factory in the castle until 1867
Georg Jahn. Female Nude 1897

Georg Jahn grew up in a family home that had been connected to the art of painting and shaping for generations. His grandfather, Christian Gottlieb Jahn, was a supervisory officer at the royal porcelain factory in Meissen at the beginning of the 19th century . His father, Karl August Moritz Jahn, was a bossier (flower modeller) and his brothers Ernst and Robert were figure painters at the factory, which until 1867 still had its headquarters in the margravial castle in Meissen.

Georg Jahn was born on May 5th, 1869 in the old bishopric of Meißen and following the family tradition, he was a porcelain painter at the porcelain factory in Meißen at the age of 14 . In the following five years (1883–1888) at the Meißner manufactory, his artistic talent was recognized and he was sent to the Dresden Art Academy (1888–1890) as a scholarship holder. In the painting room of Leon Pohle, the excellent portraitist, he got to know the high school of portraiture.

Georg Jahn left the academy in 1890 and went to the Grand Ducal Saxon Art School in Weimar to round off his artistic training for a year (1891) to study with Prof. Max Thedy , an outstanding portrait and interior painter.

In 1891 Georg Jahn received a diploma in "figure painting"
Georg Jahn. Mourning Woman 1897

As a student at this art school, his talent in figure painting was recognized and honored in 1891 with a medal from the Karl Alexander Foundation.

After a temporary stay in Berlin (1894/95), Leipzig and Munich (1895/96) and longer work as an illustrator and portraitist, Jahn settled in Loschwitz in 1897.

In 1902 he joined the new artists' association, the "Association of Dresden Visual Artists" (Secession). During this time the painter and best friend, Max Pietschmann, who had become resident in Dresden, showed him the way to etching . After a few first attempts at etching, his first large work was created in 1897, that beautiful seated “female nude” in profile, which already shows the realism of his vision and design. He did not stop at observing the external shape. Another sheet, "Praying, Mourning Old Woman", also made in 1897, shows how he makes the inner values ​​visible.

The Small Golden Plaque was awarded to Georg Jahn in 1899.

In 1899 he was awarded "The Small Golden Plaque" (Dressler 1930; 467) at the German Art Exhibition in Dresden. In the same year, on September 21, 1899, he married Johanne Goltzsche in Loschwitz. For the first few years they lived in one of the studio apartments in the Künstlerhaus Dresden-Loschwitz . During this time he trained on Otto Fischer's landscape etchings. One example is the cycle “Meeresstrand” WVZ 44, twelve pen drawings that were published by Fischer and Franke around 1905. But his real interest was clearly in the human figure, especially in portraits.

Georg Jahn. 2 Polish Jews in 1902
Georg Jahn. The Frankfurt bean round 1907

In 1904, after only seven years in his field, the viewer saw and felt, in his work “Two Polish Jews”, the confident mastery of the large format and the simple yet delicate development of the drawing. Georg Jahn was a popular and recognized portraitist in Dresden. This is shown, among others, by the etchings by Wilhelm II , Paul von Hindenburg , Minister of State Dr. F. Kaiser, Privy Councilor Dr. P. Vogel, governor Freiherr Fritz von Nidda. In addition to these personalities, he has portrayed many Dresden residents from the art scene: Prof. Hermann Prell , Prof. Dr. Geipel , composer Gottlieb Heinrich Noren, Max Pietschmann, Georg Müller-Breslau and others. He was also known outside of Saxony, as evidenced by the etching “Die Frankfurter Bohnenrunde”.

Georg Jahn. Paradise Lost, 1906
Georg Jahn. Goose Girl 1910

In 1914 he was awarded the “Saxon State Medal” in Dresden (Dressler 1930; 467). Georg Jahn worked as a single graphic in Dresden in all artistic image genres in history painting (see Figure, Paradise lost, VMS 71) portrait , portrait , genre (see Figure, geese lass VMS 81) and landscape painting . However, he has always been particularly interested in the human figure, especially the portrait. He broke away from the “painterly” handling of earlier years, which made use of every possible effect, and gradually came to his celibate graphic etching style. The change in style can be clearly seen in the Dutch papers.

A final highlight in Georg Jahn's work was a series of animal drawings. The etcher Georg Jahn did not allow himself to be tied to a certain contemporary art movement, neither conservative nor avant-garde, he was too realist for that . His art historical contribution was most clearly expressed by Erich Haenel :

“... not as one of the paths we never knew led us to new realms of perception, not as an armed man who shattered tradition in order to take up the fight with the future on its ruins - but as a robust and firm herald of truth and beauty seeker from the German Diligence and German honesty ... "

- Erich Haenel: Georg Jahn. The graphic arts. XXVII, 1904. p. 97

Erich Haenel's words could be traced back to the philosopher Xenocrates of Athens in the middle of the third century BC. BC, a pupil of Plato who helped shape the ancient theory of art:

"... the two terms beauty and sublimity turn a realistic work into a work of art. ..."

- B. Schweitzer: Xenocrates of Athens. In: On the art of antiquity. I, Tübingen 1963, pp. 105-164

This art theory can be found, as Erich Haenel states, (herald of truth, seeker of beauty) in many of Georg Jahn's works.

After 40 years of successful artistic creation in which he created over 350 etchings, he died in 1940 in his house at Kotzschweg 20 in Loschwitz and was buried in the St. Wolfgang cemetery in his native Meißen. The grave site has been preserved.

Solo exhibitions

  • 1929: Dresden, Sächsischer Kunstverein "Georg Jahn for his 60th birthday" special exhibition
  • 1939: Dresden, Sächsischer Kunstverein "Georg Jahn for his 70th birthday" special exhibition
  • 1941: Dresden, State Kupferstichkabinett “The Dresden Etcher Georg Jahn” memorial exhibition
  • 1941: Dresden, Saxon Art Association "Georg Jahn" memorial exhibition
  • 2006: Mylau Castle , "Georg Jahn - a forgotten artist" cabinet exhibition
  • 2010: Freital, Burgk Castle "Georg Jahn and Dresden Art around 1900" special exhibition
  • 2011: Glauchau, Schloss Hinterglauchau , “studio visit” The Dresden etcher Georg Jahn and the art collector Paul Geipel, exhibition in the palace cabinet May 21 to October 23, 2011

literature

  • G. Gergsen, H. Zimmermann (Ed.): Gotthardt Kuehl 1850–1915. Leipzig 1993.
  • Erich Haenel: Georg Jahn. The graphic arts. XXVII (1904).
  • Hans-Georg Jahn: The Dresden etcher Georg Jahn. Wiesenbach / Heidelberg 1999.
  • Hans-Georg Jahn: Georg Jahn, reception and effect on the renaissance of artistic graphics in Dresden around 1900. Wiesenbach / Heidelberg 2008.
  • Brunhilde Köhler: History of the Saxon Art Association 1828-1946. Dresden 1994.
  • Walter Koschatzky: The art of graphics. Munich 1997.
  • Bernd Küster, Jürgen Wittstock: Carl Bantzer, departure and tradition. Bremen 2002.
  • Heinrich Leporino: The copper engraving collector . Braunschweig 1954.

Newspapers, magazines

  • Walter Holzhausen: Georg Jahn on his 60th birthday. In: Dresdner Latest News. October 27, 1929.
  • Fritz Löffler : Georg Jahn in the art association In: Saxon newspaper. October 1941.
  • Paul Rausch: German contemporary art: Georg Jahn, master of graphics. In: Dresdner Latest News. 10/11 September 1938.
  • Paul Rausch: The memory of Georg Jahn: Exhibition in the Kupferstichkabinett. In: Dresdner Latest News. 1/2. February 1941.
  • Franz Schubert: The Dresden etcher Georg Jahn. In: Dresdner latest news. 8/9. February 1941.
  • Jutta W. Thomasius: 12 knights and their bean king. An old Frankfurt round table has existed since 1898. In: Neue Presse. December 1979.
  • Westermann's monthly books. Volume 153, I; Issue 913 1932/33.
  • Felix Zimmermann: Autumn exhibition in the Saxon Art Association: Georg Jahn. In: Dresdner Nachrichten. October 15, 1941.

Lexicons and reference works

Web links

Commons : Georg Jahn  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ U. Neidhart: The Dresden painting from 1870 until the arrival of Gotthardt cool. Dissertation. Leipzig 1989. pp. 1-4.
  2. ^ Paul Schumann: Painting . In: Dresden [and its art sites] (=  Famous art sites . Volume 46 ). Books on Demand, Dresden 2012, ISBN 978-3-86444-353-4 , pp. 289 ( books.google.de - reprint).
  3. ↑ Advertisement for founding an association. In: Dresdner Anzeiger March 3, 1894 (Volume 164, No. 62), first supplement, p. 2.
  4. ↑ a b c Jahn, Georg . In: Hans Vollmer (Hrsg.): General lexicon of fine artists from antiquity to the present . Founded by Ulrich Thieme and Felix Becker . tape 18 : Hubatsch – Ingouf . EA Seemann, Leipzig 1925, p. 344 .
  5. ↑ VMS 96 Georg Jahn Homepage
  6. ↑ WVZ 107/292 Georg Jahn homepage
  7. ↑ VMS 171 Georg Jahn Homepage
personal data
SURNAME Jahn, Georg
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German painter and graphic artist
DATE OF BIRTH May 5, 1869
PLACE OF BIRTH Meissen
DATE OF DEATH November 18, 1940
Place of death Loschwitz