Johann Josef Kirchner

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Johann Josef Kirchner (born July 10, 1846 in Vienna , † April 14, 1889 in Stein an der Donau ) was an Austrian illustrator and landscape painter .

Life

Johann Josef Kirchner was born on July 10, 1846 in Vienna as the son of Johann Karl Kirchner and Anna, née Wurzer. After his artistic training at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, he began to work for the Illustrirte Zeitung in Leipzig and later for the Neue Illustrirte Zeitung in Vienna.

With his wife Friederike, whom he married in 1870, he had a son and a daughter. In 1878 Kirchner left his rightful family and moved into their own apartment with his lover. They later had their daughter Edith Amalia. Despite the good order situation, Kirchner was always in need of money. The personal expenses increased considerably due to the private circumstances, since in addition to his eccentric lifestyle, he also had to support two households from his earnings.

In 1886 Kirchner got to know the wealthy Curio family. Shortly afterwards he began an intimate relationship with Clara Curio, who also gave him generous financial support. At the invitation of the Curio couple, Kirchner moved to them in autumn 1887 and moved into two rooms in an outbuilding of the villa. Karl Curio had no idea of ​​Kirchner's relationship with his wife.

On January 14, 1888, Kirchner tried to kill Karl Curio on the way to a masked ball. In the later investigation it was found that the murder weapon was very likely Kirchner's walking stick. The force of the blows was reduced by the metal spring of the Chapeau Claque , which Curio wore, thus avoiding serious injuries. The three-day public hearing began on June 18, 1888. Extensive witnesses were interrogated during the first two days of the trial. On the third day of the crime, the court found Kirchner guilty of attempted assassination and sentenced him to six years ' imprisonment , aggravated by a monthly fast.

After his time in custody in Vienna, Kirchner was transferred to the Stein prison. Regardless of his own life situation, Kirchner began to work artistically again in prison and produced a large number of drawings and watercolors as printed models in his cell.

Due to his weak constitution, Kirchner only survived a few months in prison and died on April 14, 1889.

Works

Johann Josef Kirchner created a large number of prints, drawings and watercolors . The collection of local images in the Styrian Provincial Archives contains 40 illustrations, mainly xylographs , that can be assigned to Kirchner. The prints were made between 1872 and 1889 and mostly show landscapes and architectural representations.

literature

  • To the Kirchner trial. In: Der Flea Vol. 20, No. 26, June 24, 1888.
  • Balduin Groller : My friend - the assassin. A memory of the painter JJ Kirchner. In: Neues Wiener Journal Vol. 23, No. 7626, January 17, 1915, pp. 5–6.
  • Heinrich Fuchs: The Austrian painters of the 19th century. Vol. 2: G-K . Vienna 1973, p. 110.
  • Monika Küttner: Johann Josef Kirchner, a "murderous" womanizer as an artist in the Styrian collection of local images. In: Yearbook of the Steiermärkisches Landesarchiv Vol. 3, 2020, pp. 69–85.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ From the courtroom. The Kirchner murder trial . In: Die Presse, Abendblatt . No. 168 , June 18, 1888, p. 2-3 .
  2. ↑ From the courtroom . In: Neue Freie Presse, Morgenblatt . No. 8557 , June 21, 1888, p. 6 .
  3. ↑ Balduin Groller: My friend - the assassin. A memory of the painter JJ Kirchner . In: Neues Wiener Journal . No. 7626 , January 17, 1915, p. 5-6 .
personal data
SURNAME Kirchner, Johann Josef
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian illustrator and landscape painter
DATE OF BIRTH July 10, 1846
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH April 14, 1889
Place of death Stein on the Danube