Leonhard Thoma
Leonhard Thoma (born January 6, 1864 in Fischach ; † August 30, 1921 in Jettingen ) was a Bavarian church painter of the late Nazarene and Neo-Baroque styles .
life and work
Leonhard Thoma was the son of the shoemaker Johann Michael Thoma, who also made nativity scenes and votive tablets as a sideline. This is likely to have influenced the son's career choice early on. He completed training as a decorative painter with various artists in Augsburg, Munich and Vienna. As a 15-year-old, still unknown, Leonhard Thoma painted a portrait of Franz Liszt in Munich , which was later copied by the artist Herrmann Torggler (1878–1939) and sold in large numbers as a postcard under his name.
In 1886 he passed the entrance examination at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich . There he studied painting, whereby he had to earn his studies through his art. Thoma worked at that time a. a. as a restorer and occasional painter, he also produced magazine illustrations for the Benziger publishing house in Einsiedeln .
Leonhard Thoma became one of the most sought-after church painters of his era in Bavaria. He mainly painted in the style of the late Nazarenes and the then newly emerging neo-baroque style .
Many of Thomas' paintings achieved national fame, such as his Herz Jesu painting “Come all to me”, which he created as the altarpiece in a chapel in Ursberg . It was widely used as a devotional picture and often adorned the front of commemorative prints for priestly ordination or spiritual anniversaries.
In 1912 he painted several oil paintings in stucco frames in the vault of the nave of the St. Johannes Hospital Church in Bad Reichenhall .
His most famous work is undoubtedly the high altar painting of St. Anna's Basilica in Altötting , made in 1916 , on which, in addition to St. Anne and other religious figures , he also found the donor of the altar, Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria and his little great-grandson, Hereditary Prince Luitpold (1901-1914 ) represent. It was also sold as a postcard and Thoma received an award from King Ludwig III for it.
Leonhard Thoma was married to Elisabeth Böhm (1871–1949) from Jettingen , where the couple had also settled. The artist worked as a church painter until the end of his life and also found his final resting place in Jettingen. The modern-looking tomb was designed by his brother-in-law Dominikus Böhm , a well-known religious architect.
A brother of Leonhard Thoma was a Catholic priest and was recorded by him in a portrait. He used to immortalize his father in a drawing.
In the artist's birthplace, a linden tree in the center of the village has been named after him as a permanent monument.
literature
- Richard Wagner: The painter Leonhard Thoma from Fischach . 1982
- Christian Art , Volume X, Munich 1914, pp. 257–280
- Leonhard Thomas last works . In: Die Christian Kunst , Volume XVIII, 1922, Supplement, p. 53
- Kurt Malisch: Thoma, Leonhard. In: Karl Bosl (ed.): Bosls Bavarian biography. Supplementary volume. 1000 personalities from 15 centuries. Pustet, Regensburg 1988, ISBN 3-7917-1153-9 , p. 161 ( digitized version ).
Web links
- Website about Swabian church painters (Leonhard Thoma at the very end)
- Page with pictures by Leonhard Thoma
- Site of the place of birth Fischach (with mention of a linden tree named in honor of Leonhard Thoma)
Individual evidence
- ↑ To the Liszt portrait of Leonhard Thoma ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Register entry Leonhard Thomas at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich
- ^ Page of the granddaughter of Leonhard Thoma, with information about his studies (PDF, 117 kB)
- ^ Georg Dehio : Handbook of German Art Monuments. Volume 4: Munich and Upper Bavaria. New edition. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-422-03010-7 , p. 29 ( limited preview in the Google book search).
- ^ Leonhard Thoma, portrait of his brother. ( Memento of the original from April 20, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Leonhard Thoma, portrait of his father. ( Memento of the original from May 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Thoma, Leonhard |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German church painter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 6, 1864 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Fischach |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 30, 1921 |
| Place of death | Jettingen-Scheppach |