Josef Guntermann

Josef Guntermann (born April 7, 1856 in Assinghausen , † October 5, 1932 in Munich ) was a German artist who mainly created religious works, often in the style of the Nazarenes .

Life

He initially worked in business before he began an apprenticeship as a church painter in Werl . Then he carried out his first works in the Sauerland . Through the mediation of Pastor Behrens from Rumbeck , he came into contact with the Beuron art school . Between 1880 and 1885 he worked with others to decorate the Emaus Abbey in Prague . In 1885 he went to Munich. He continued to work in the Sauerland. His work still exists today in Rumbeck, Allendorf , Meschede and Büren .

In Meschede he created Stations of the Cross between 1885 and 1887. At the end of the Second World War , the stations were badly damaged, but were later restored. In Meschede he also restored the old altarpiece of the collegiate church . He also created the picture “The Savior Carrying the Cross”, which was widely used in print. In 1888 he created an altarpiece for the church in Rumbeck. The altarpiece followed a year later in Allendorf and an image of the Lord's Supper in Büren. Further pictures from this time were in Weiberg and Allendorf. From 1890 he was busy with the design of the Lorenz Church in Erfurt . The church in Assinghausen was painted in 1891. There he also created a way of the cross. Between 1892 and 1894 he created murals for the Liebfrauenkirche in Dortmund . His most important work was the painting of the dome with a monumental painting in the funeral hall at the Ostfriedhof in Munich. He was busy with this between 1896 and 1900. From his own funds he donated 4,000 marks for the gilding. The plant was destroyed during the Second World War and was never restored.

During this time he made various study trips to Italy . The reputation he had acquired with the design of the Munich funeral hall earned Guntermann numerous commissions. He worked for St. Ottilien . Between 1902 and 1905 he created wall paintings on the Schlossberg in Rosenheim on behalf of the state . He also had assignments in Iserlohn , Würzburg , Erfurt, Erding , Munich and Augsburg . He created a picture of Joseph for the cathedral in Paderborn . Probably after the First World War, “war honors” were added for Assinghausen and Fleckenberg . One of his last works was the painting of the study church in Ettal Abbey .

He lived exclusively for the arts and never married. From Pope Pius XI. he was made a knight of the Order of Gregory . He died in an old people's home in Munich.

literature

• Karl Egon Gordes: About dealing with sacred art. An example from St. Walburga Meschede. In: Sauerland 2/1992 p. 42
• Theodor Rüther: Josef Guntermann, a painter from the Sauerland. In: Sauerlandruf 1/2 1956 pp 23-26

Web links

• Joseph Guntermann - Action Way of the Cross