Karl Fritz Friedrich

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Karl Fritz Friedrich (born March 14, 1921 in Lünen , † June 20, 1959 in Gevelsberg ) was a German painter and graphic artist.

Life

Karl Fritz Friedrich's wish to study make- up at the Babelsberg film studios in Berlin after graduating from high school resulted from the professional contacts of his parents, who worked as make-up and costume designers at theaters in Hamburg. But his urge to create artistically was stronger and in 1939 he switched to the master school of German crafts in Dortmund in the subject of free and applied graphics .

When he was drafted into the Wehrmacht in 1939 and then became a prisoner of war in France, the hoped-for life was interrupted. KF Friedrich continued to draw and paint during this time and even had the chance to exhibit in Cagnes-sur-Mer and Nice .

After his return, KF Friedrich resumed studies at the Werkkunstschule Dortmund , which had been relocated to Buddenburg Castle in Lünen due to war damage . His basic design standards were largely shaped by Professor Herricht; other teachers were Professors Guggenberger, Schödder and Strauss. In 1950 he completed his studies with an exam and took on a job as an assistant at Professor Herricht.

During his studies, Karl Fritz Friedrich met his fellow student Margarete Buschhaus, whom he married in 1950. The young couple began their freelance artistic work in Essen. A short time later he moved into his parents' (in law) house in Gevelsberg - the "Wolfskuhle" - in which Friedrich had and lived until the end of his life.

As a painter and graphic artist, KF Friedrich was a member of the “ Ring Bergischer Künstler ”, which was based in Wuppertal in the “Palette” artists' club and was headed by the well-known painter Adolf Röder at that time .

The everyday life of the Friedrich-Buschhaus couple in the following years was shaped by their own artistic departure in the early post-war period and the examination of traditional ideas of art. Her work as a commercial artist ensured her livelihood.

Freedom resulted from two study stays on the southern French coast in Cagnes-sur-Mer (1952 and 1954).

The work of KF Friedrich developed in a quick, decisive sequence of steps from realistic, naturalistic oil paintings and woodcuts to abstract rhythmic oil paintings to large-scale, harmonious, at the same time small-scale material images.

Due to his early death in 1959 after a long, progressively paralyzing illness, KF Friedrich's work was no longer able to achieve the recognition that an obituary called “he anticipated some things that were highlighted as novel by other artists” .

plant

If one tries to read a development path from the work of Karl Fritz Friedrich, three phases can be distinguished, in each of which new things are tried out with a break from previous ones.

Naturalistic orientation 1953–1955

In 1953 he created expressive portraits in tempera and oil, detached from the natural portrait drawings of his student days. During these years he also made book illustrations as woodcuts for the works of Graham Greene and ETA Hoffmann . He reflected the strenuous work in woodcuts such as B. "Night shift", "earthworker", "hammer smith".

He took up shapes, colors and contrasts of industrial plants and traffic structures in oil paintings such as "Dolomitwerk" and "Schwebebahn" with strong colors and stylization. But also the “Port of Marseille” reminds of bad and good times in the south of France. Landscape paintings in oil with an expressive formal language complement this period of realistic world representation, for example "Landscape with cows".

Turning to abstraction 1955–1957

Almost seamlessly, the replacement of realistic reproduction began in 1955 by reducing it to structures, spatial relationships and rhythms, which, however, remain named. On the one hand there are compositions in which colored surfaces and contrasts are statically balanced reminiscent of industrial landscapes (for example "fallow land"), on the other hand, rhythmically moving, in which what is meant is combined with the joy of recognition when immersed in the picture (for example "aerial photo") , "JazzScat").

Free forms in material images / spatial images and gouaches 1957–1959

In the next phase, the images were further detached from the depicted using three techniques. The material images, the colors of which, enriched by small objects from nature, grow into the plastic and create the impression of powerful calm over a large area, were created in detail from contradicting, but well-ordered elements. The pictures “Paths of my Margaret” and “Spacious Relationship” are examples.

The spatial images detach themselves from the canvas. Fragile, semi-plastic, but still wall-oriented structures made of wire, plaster of paris, cork, and textiles now float the space (works are lost according to current knowledge, images in the catalog for the exhibition Galerie Silk / Münster). The gouaches show a colorful world in almost uniform formats, which is nevertheless based on a strictly horizontally / vertically oriented graphic. The titles refer to different horizons, such as “Das Echo”, “Fatamorgana”, “Kleines Märchenbild”.

Art in public space 1957–1959

The diversity of Karl Fritz Friedrich's creative output is also evident in his contributions to art in public spaces. Here, on the one hand, he picked up on his first work for Professor Herricht, on the other hand, he built on the level of development he had achieved in 1957. Large windows for churches, wall designs for the entrance areas of schools and other public institutions as well as large sculptures were created.

All objects have a large variety of materials, which is used for a targeted dynamic of the work. Some of these objects overstrained the local understanding of art in their time and triggered corresponding controversies. For an overview, reference is made to “Entrance area Lützowschule” (Dortmund) and in particular the “Bandeisenkulptur” (Gevelsberg School), which are documented in the 2017 exhibition.

Commercial art

In an overall presentation of an artist, his livelihood should not be forgotten. The Friedrich-Buschhaus couple designed posters, advertising brochures and letterheads in the modern typography of the 1950s for the industry in the region. A sample book from this time testifies to this.

Memberships

The circle of friends and acquaintances included visual artists such as Alfred Birnschein , Gustav Deppe , Karel Niestrath , Eva Niestrath-Berger, Wilfried Reckewitz , Adolf Röder and Emil Schumacher .

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

  • 1955 "Palette", Wuppertal (July 1 - August 31, 1955)
  • 1958 Galerie Bernd Clasing, Münster (November 8th – December 5th, 1958)
  • 1958 Märkisches Museum, Witten (January 4–25, 1959)
  • 1959 Silk Gallery, Hanover (May 20-22, 1959)
  • 1996 Memorial exhibition, Sprockhövel (February 25 - March 17, 1996)
  • 2017 Exhibition Sparkasse Ennepetal (January 29 - February 24, 2017) [1]

Group exhibitions

Aachen, Darmstadt, Dortmund (Museum am Ostwall 1957), Duisburg, Hagen (1952), Iserlohn (Haus der Heimat 1953), Lüdenscheid (1958), Marl (1952), Solingen, Soest, Stuttgart, Wülferath, Wuppertal (Galerie Putty) , France (Cagnes-sur-Mer, Nice)

photos

The work of around 200 oil and material pictures, woodcuts and gouaches that can be verified today is essentially spread over five locations. In addition to Aachen, Breckerfeld and Hamburg, Stuttgart and especially Gevelsberg are focal points of the distribution of the work and archive.

literature

  • Birnschein, Alfred: In Memoriam Karl Fritz Friedrich . In: Gevelsberger Zeitung , No. 145, Volume 82, June 27, 1959
  • Boulboullé, Hans: Art is form . In: Paper No. 5 of the Silk Gallery, Hanover 1959
  • Silk Gallery: For Karl Fritz Friedrich . Font no.5 of the Silk Gallery, Hanover 1959
  • Hackstein, Ariane: life and work of Karl Fritz Friedrich . In: Peterson, Margarete (ed.): Karl Fritz Friedrich - Catalog for the memorial exhibition in Sprockhövel . Hagen 1996.
  • May, Elisabeth: Eva Niestrath-Berger on her 100th birthday . In: Hagener Heimatbund (Ed.): Hagenbuch 2014 . Hagen 2014
  • Märkisches Museum Witten: Catalog on Friedrich / Fränkel . Witten 1959
  • Peterson, Margarete (Ed.): Karl Fritz Friedrich - Catalog for the memorial exhibition in Sprockhövel . Hagen 1996
  • Trapp, Angelika: More than a decorative matter. WAZ January 31, 2017 www.waz.de/archiv-daten/mehr-als-eine-schmueckende-angelangel-id209452445.html
  • Wedewer, Rolf: Late works . In: Peterson, Margarete (ed.): Karl Fritz Friedrich - Catalog for the memorial exhibition in Sprockhövel . Hagen 1996.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Birnschein, Alfred: In Memoriam . In: Gevelsberger Zeitung of June 27, 1959.
  2. ↑ Hackstein, Ariane: Life and Work of Karl Fritz Friedrich . In: Peterson, Margarete (Ed.) 1996
  3. ↑ Boulboullé, Hans: art form . Hanover 1959
  4. ^ Wedewer, Rolf: Late works . Hagen 1996
  5. ↑ May, Elisabeth: Eva Niestrath-Berger on her 100th birthday . In: Hagener Heimatbund (Hrsg.): Hagenbuch 2014 , Hagen 2014
personal data
SURNAME Friedrich, Karl Fritz
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German painter and graphic artist
DATE OF BIRTH March 14, 1921
PLACE OF BIRTH Luenen
DATE OF DEATH June 20, 1959
Place of death Gevelsberg