Leonhard Blum

Leonhard Blum - self-portrait from 1893

Leonhard Blum (born March 7, 1857 in Gunzenhausen ; † August 12, 1933 at Schloss Neuburg am Inn ) was a German painter and architect .

life and work

Leonhard Blum was the sixth child of the stone carver Conrad Blum and his wife Margarethe, née Funk. Little is known about Blum's childhood, youth and apprenticeship.

Leonhard Blum initially became an architect and worked in this profession until he was 33 years old. He himself writes about this: “My resolution to become a painter was not to be fulfilled at first, because I took up his profession according to the will of my father, who was an architect. Soon after his death, however, I felt the urge to follow my innate inclination to train as a painter ”. For this purpose, Blum was based in Munich from 1889 and attended Simon Hollósy's private painting school there . Various study trips followed.

After his artistic training, Blum mainly worked as a portrait painter. His studio was at Gabelsbergerstrasse 77a. From 1902 he took part in exhibitions in the Munich Glass Palace almost every year . In 1911 Blum was elected chairman of the artist support association. He held this office until his death.

In 1922, Blum also became the director of the artist recovery home set up by the artist support association at Neuburg am Inn Castle. He made a good name for himself as a leader and host. Fritz Hellwag describes his impressions of his stay as follows: “Finally, a word of thanks from the hearts of many and all who lived in the castle and still felt so friendly and cared for in unbroken freedom, the honored Professor Blum and his wife, who obviously takes pleasure in spreading comfort and zest for life around them, bringing out all the beautiful things that the castle holds, showing them and explaining them if so desired; and occasionally also to hold out until late, when the youngsters swing their legs on a mild summer night ”.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Wilhelm Lux: Leonhard Blum. An important portrait painter from Gunzenhausen. In: Association for local history Gunzenhausen (ed.): Alt-Gunzenhausen. Contributions to the history of the city and the surrounding area. No. 41 (1985), pp. 62-65, here p. 62.
2. ^ Wilhelm Lux: Leonhard Blum. An important portrait painter from Gunzenhausen. In: Association for local history Gunzenhausen (ed.): Alt-Gunzenhausen. Contributions to the history of the city and the surrounding area. No. 41 (1985), pp. 62-65, here p. 64.
3. ^ Wilfried Hartleb: Neuburg am Inn. Castle, garden palace, ruin, artist's palace. Passau 2012, p. 231.

literature

• Hans Wolfgang Singer (ed.), Hermann Alexander Müller (†) (founder): General artist lexicon. Volume 6, Rütten & Loening, Frankfurt am Main 1922, p. 29.