Kronberg painters colony

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The Kronberger Malerkolonie was one of the earliest artist colonies in Germany, which existed from 1858 until the 20th century.

Frankfurt artists of the Romantic and Late Romantic periods , in particular , found “genuine country life” here, and Impressionists valued the landscape in the Taunus . Kronberg and the neighboring towns developed into a refuge for aristocrats and entrepreneurs.

history

The Kronberg painter's colony was founded in Kronberg im Taunus in 1858 by the painters Anton Burger and Jakob Fürchtegott Dielmann . One of the first to follow suit was Philipp Rumpf .

Burger and Dielmann were influenced in their artistic work by Wilhelm Leibl and thus there was also a connection to the school of Barbizon and Gustave Courbet . At the time when the naturalists left their studios and painted en plein air , many artists were drawn to the city in the Taunus. Most of them were students at the Städel Art Institute in Frankfurt. Pioneering teachers there were u. a. Jakob Becker and Heinrich Hasselhorst , who were also close to this painter's colony.

There was no uniform alignment of a common style, although many were dedicated to landscape and genre painting . The influence of the Barbizon School is noticeable, but the lighting effects in the "realistic landscape representation" have been enormously developed.

The ties between the individual artists and Kronberg varied greatly. Some settled in Kronberg for the rest of their lives, others only lived there for a certain time. Some of them came regularly for longer stays in the Taunus in spring or summer over the years. The long existence of this painting colony is probably due to the almost family cohesion and interaction between the artists. Nobody there was exposed to any competitive pressure and everyone could benefit from everyone else.

After the death of her husband Friedrich III. on June 15, 1888, Empress Victoria (Kaiserin Friedrich) retired to her widow's residence at Schloss Friedrichshof in Kronberg. The hobby painter lived there until her death on August 5, 1901. During this time, she greatly appreciated her meetings with various artists and the artistic exchange in the painter's colony.

resolution

The artist Wilhelm Süs had turned away from painting as early as 1898 and founded a ceramic factory in Kronberg. In 1899 Hans Thoma came to Kronberg, later they founded the State Majolica Manufactory Karlsruhe . The late Romantic period, which was important for the Kronberg painters' colony, came to an end after 1900, and Anton Burger died in 1905. Younger painters like Nelson G. Kinsley , Philipp Franck and Fritz Wucherer could not build on the successes of the older generation.

In 1907, for example, such important painters as Paul Klimsch and Jakob Nussbaum took part in the exhibitions of the Frankfurt-Cronberger-Künstler-Bund , but as impressionists they were far more modern than the Kronberg style.

Museum reception

The Villa Winter in Kronberg (Taunus), which has housed the museum of the Kronberg painter colony since 2018

Although some of the painters 'works achieved considerable prices on the art market, the painting of the Romantic period, especially the Kronberg painters' colony, received little attention. This changed from the 1970s. Since 1979 the Museumsgesellschaft Kronberg e. V. is committed to preserving the cultural heritage associated with the former artists' colony. In 2018 the Museum Kronberger Malerkolonie found a permanent home in the Villa Winter, the former residence of the painter Heinrich Winter (1843–1911). With over 350 square meters of exhibition space, the house offers space for the presentation of the extensive collection of paintings as well as a new workshop for museum education. The ground floor is reserved for the ever-growing collection from the Late Biedermeier to Impressionism, while changing exhibitions on 19th century painting and contemporary art are presented on the upper floor.

Kronberg artists (selection)

Founding members:

Other members:

Exhibitions

  • 2011: On paper about the painters of the Kronberg Colony in the Museum Kronberger Malerkolonie .
  • 2012: In dialogue: The Schwalenberg artists' colony visits Kronberg .

literature

  • Uwe Opper (Ed.): The Kronberger painter colony and befriended Frankfurt artists. Opper, Kronberg 2008, ISBN 3-924831-06-8 .
  • Heinrich Weizsäcker (ed.): Art and artists in Frankfurt am Main in the 19th century. Baer, ​​Frankfurt am Main.
    • 1. Frankfurt art life in the 19th century. 1907.
    • 2. Biographical Lexicon of Frankfurt Artists in the 19th Century. 1909.
  • August Wiederspahn, Helmut Bode: The Kronberg painter colony. A contribution to Frankfurt art history in the 19th century. Kramer, Frankfurt am Main 1982, ISBN 3-7829-0183-5 .
  • Gerhard Wietek (Ed.): German artist colonies and artist locations. Thiemig, Munich 1976, ISBN 3-521-04061-5 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Fluctuating Modernism in: Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung from June 19, 2011, page R4
  2. ↑ Near and Far of Modernity in FAZ of August 24, 2012, page 46