Konrad Ferdinand Edmund von Freyhold

Konrad Ferdinand Edmund von Freyhold (born July 8, 1878 in Freiburg im Breisgau ; † May 25, 1944 there ) was a German painter and picture book illustrator.

Life

Image from Easter book (1908)

Freyhold grew up as the son of the botanist and high school professor Ferdinand Edmund Joseph Karl von Freyhold in Freiburg, Pforzheim and Baden-Baden . From 1896 he studied at the Grand Ducal Baden Academy of Fine Arts with Robert Poetzelberger and Leopold von Kalckreuth . His fellow students were Karl Hofer , Emil Rudolf Weiß and Wilhelm Laage , to whom he was friends and who gave him the nickname Cimabu . He had study stays in Fiesole and London , where he married Stefanie Lichtenauer in 1898 against the will of the families. This was followed by dropping out of his studies and several stays in Paris . Freyhold is artistically based on Auguste Renoir and acquires several pictures by Henri Rousseau , including the child with jumping jack (now in the Kunstmuseum Winterthur ). Freyhold lives at Landeck Castle near Emmendingen and is financially supported by his friend Karl Wieck. In 1902, Emil Rudolf Weiss procured Freyhold illustration orders for the anthology Der Buntscheck , which was published by Schafstein & Cie. In 1904 because of his relationship with Richard Dehmel . appears in Cologne. Further picture books were published by Schaffstein Verlag from 1905.

Freyhold is in contact with Karl Ernst Osthaus , whom he advises on picture purchases in France, and from 1906 through the recommendation of Hofer and Weiss with the Winterthur merchant Theodor Reinhart , who supported him as a patron from 1907. In the same year there was a break with Theodor Reinhart, who, however, resumed these monthly payments from 1909 onwards following the intervention of the painter friends. This relationship is also linked to a lifelong friendship with Reinhart's sons Werner and Hans, who both support Freyhold financially. Through Werner Reinhart, he also made the acquaintance of Rainer Maria Rilke , who was very fond of Freyhold's picture books. In 1908, the Berlin publisher Bruno Cassirer approached Freyhold about a picture book, and Freyhold supplied him with the pictures for the picture book, which was originally titled Easter book , later renamed the Hasenbuch , and subsequently furnished with verses by Christian Morgenstern. Further edition plans will not be implemented. Freyhold exhibits in the Berlin and the Free Secession in Berlin. In 1912 Freyhold was represented with pictures in the Kunsthalle Mannheim . He also stayed in Paris and in 1913 in Cagnes-sur-Mer as a guest of Auguste Renoir. He acts as an intermediary for art purchases, including for the Kunsthaus Bernheim - Jeune & Cie. in Paris. In 1921, for example, he posted "Woman in a Landscape" by Henri Rousseau.

From 1915 to 1918 Freyhold did military service in the First World War. Karl Wieck dies in 1915 and makes Freyhold his universal heir. The family continues to live in Landeck near Emmendingen, Freyhold works as a freelance artist. In 1927 he was a founding member of the Baden Secession , with which he took part in exhibitions in Freiburg, Stuttgart and Donaueschingen . From 1926 to 1930 Freyhold worked on the frescoes for the New Aula of the Albertus University in Königsberg (destroyed in World War II).

Freyhold turned to the NSDAP early on ; he became a member in 1930. In 1931 he joined the SA . In 1933 he became city councilor of Freiburg, in 1935 he was appointed councilor. In 1933 he took over the chairmanship of the Baden Secession until it was dissolved in 1936. Freyhold died on May 25, 1944 in Freiburg-Zähringen.

Works

The first known works by Freyhold are watercolors and drawings from the estate (now in private ownership). Further works are in family hands , in the Winterthur Music College , the Winterthur museums and the Augustinermuseum Freiburg.

Freyhold has remained known for his book art works, which were classified by critics early on as exceptional and groundbreaking. Even after the Second World War, they continued to be named as groundbreaking for modern German picture books and were brought back onto the market as reprints.

His two murals for children's rooms (at Schaffstein) were rediscovered and exhibited in 2008.

bibliography

• Maze of love: by Otto Julius Bierbaum, Insel-Verlag: Leipzig, 1901. Title vignette - woodcut by Emil Rudolf Weiss based on a model by Freyhold (Freyhold inv., Weiß sculp.) Also in “Die Insel”, 3rd year, issue 4 , Page 3.
• The colored check. A scrapbook of hearty art for the ears and eyes of German children. Richard Dehmel (ed.). Schafstein & Cie. Cologne a. Rh 1904. Reprint Insel Verlag 1985.
• Picture books: Volume I Animals. Hermann & Friedrich Schaffstein, 1905. New edition 1929. Reprint Manufactum Verlag 2008
• Picture books: Volume II Sports and Games. Hermann & Friedrich Schaffstein, 1906. New edition 1929. Reprint Manufactum Verlag 2008
• Coloring books: Volume 1 Hermann & Friedrich Schaffstein, 1905
• Coloring books: Volume II Hermann & Friedrich Schaffstein, 1907
• Easter book (rabbit book). Verses by Christian Morgenstern. Bruno Cassirer, Berlin 1908. New editions 1920 and 1926. Reduced edition in Inselbücherei 707, 1960. Further edition as Insel Bilderbuch 1978, Reprint Manufactum Verlag 2007
• The trip to Italy. Carl Bulcke. C. Reissner Verlag, Dresden 1907. Binding and cover.
• The girl enemies. Carl Spitteler. Eugen Diederichs. Jena 1907. Binding, cover, endpaper and inside title
• The house book. Franz Xaver Reiter from Lauchheim. Eugen Diederichs, Jena 1907. Cover and cover.

Literature and Sources

• Jonietz, Margarita / Spranger Ulrike: The history of the Baden secession 1927-1936. Freiburg 1987
• Jomietz, Margaraita / Spranger, Ulrike The Baden Secession (1927-1936). Artists and Art Politics in the Time of National Socialism. Freiburg, 1989
• Lechleiter, Antje Michaela: The artist group Badische Sezession. Dissertation 1994
• Stark, Roland: Konrad Ferdinand Edmund von Freyhold as a book illustrator. In: Librarium, Issue 1 - 1997
• Stark Roland: An unheard of experience. Christian Morgenstern and the children's book. In: From the Antiquariat Heft 3, 1999
• Stark, Barbara / Stark, Roland: Ernst Kreidolf and the history of art. Children's book and art around 1900. Konstanz: Städtische Wessenberg-Galerie, 2002
• Stark, Roland: The Schaffstein Verlag. Publishing history and bibliography of publications 1894-1973. Frankfurt: Lang, 2003
• Dresch, Jutta: Edmund Conrad Ferdinand von Freyhold. In: Saur General Artist Lexicon Volume 45, p. 4. Munich-Leipzig, 2005
• Stark, Roland: Language on the gold scales. Bern: Robert Walser Center, 2012

Web links

Commons : Konrad Ferdinand Edmund von Freyhold  - Collection of images, videos and audio files