Gerhard Franke (painter)
Gerhard Franke (born April 24, 1926 in Lugau ; † October 22, 2002 in Neustadt an der Orla ) was a German painter .
Life
Franke grew up in Chemnitz . In 1943 he experienced air raids as an anti-aircraft helper and when he was 18 he had to serve on the Eastern Front as a soldier . At the end of 1944 he was “shot at home ” in Poland , as a result of which he spent half a year in a hospital in Carinthia . In 1945 he returned to his homeland as a pacifist and graduated from high school a year later. In 1946 Franke enrolled at the Leipzig University of Graphics and Book Art. His teacher was Elisabeth Voigt , who in turn was taught by Käthe Kollwitz and Karl Hofer . Frustrated with the need to paint realistically, Franke switched to the Leipzig Conservatory , where he studied cello . After repeated tendonitis Franke gave his goal of becoming a professional musician, and completed his studies in 1951. This prompted Franke his art studies at the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University in Greifswald and graduated it two years later with a focus on art education at from the Humboldt University of Berlin .
From 1955 he taught art education in villages in Thuringia . In 1960 Franke and his wife Ute set up a ceramic workshop in Neustadt an der Orla and began to sell room and wall decorations. In 1966 he gave up his profession as a teacher and from then on worked as a ceramist with his wife. Since then, they have lived in seclusion in Arnshaugk Castle , where Franke continued to cultivate his artistic ambitions.
Work and reception
Inspired by abstract art, Franke had difficulties finding acceptance for his visual language in the GDR . Although he was accepted into the Association of Visual Artists of the GDR and dutifully participated in association exhibitions every two years, he had never exhibited most of his pictures. He dealt with the representation of "negative forces" and "human characteristics in symbolic figures". He has often symbolized the oppression of the individual in the GDR. In addition, the creation of color harmonies and patterns according to musical principles moved him. Later he painted landscapes, especially the growth and decay of trees and moving clouds as symbols of life and transience.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Gerhard Franke, Landscapes. Castle Chapel Arnshaugk Exhibition from May 12th to June 17th 2007 (2007)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Franke, Gerhard |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German painter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 24, 1926 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lugau |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 22, 2002 |
| Place of death | Neustadt an der Orla |