Lothar Freund (graphic designer)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lothar Freund's work Thuringian coat of arms (1992)

Lothar Freund (born April 18, 1930 in Stockhausen ; † July 13, 2017 in Erfurt ) was a graphic artist whose artistic work encompasses several genres of commercial graphics . His best-known work is the draft of the Thuringian state coat of arms (1992). He is considered one of the most renowned commercial graphic artists in Thuringia .

Life

Lothar Freund was born in 1930 in the Thuringian village of Stockhausen near Sondershausen . From 1947 to 1949 he completed an apprenticeship for glass painter in Wasungen , then he went to Erfurt. 32 years he worked for the state GDR - Agency German advertising and display company (DEWAG), including several years as artistic director , responsible for more than 50 employees. From 1960 to 1963 he went to the College of Applied Arts Magdeburg , 1970/71 to the University of Fine Arts Berlin-Weißensee - there he studied a. a. with Werner Klemke and Axel Bertram . In 1973 he became a member of the Association of Visual Artists of the GDR .

Since 1950, Lothar Freund has been connected to his adopted home Erfurt in a variety of ways and has helped shape the city's cultural history in the field of commercial graphics for six decades. Since 1986 he has been freelance .

Lothar Freund died at the age of 87, his urn was buried in the main cemetery in Erfurt .

plant

In addition to the well-known design of the Thuringian coat of arms, works are known, such as posters and logos for the museums of the city of Erfurt, the iga and ega , the Kaisersaal , the city ​​and regional library Erfurt , the German Horticultural Day 1992, for the 1250th anniversary of the City of Erfurt (1992) and theater performances . He also dedicated his works to the Erfurt Philharmonic Orchestra . There are also design services such. B. for the Runneburg club in Weißensee , the Thuringian open-air museum Hohenfelden and the Wilhelmshöhe Palace in Kassel . He was a member of the Runneburg Association.

The works of Lothar Freund were shown several times at the art exhibitions of the GDR in Dresden and the presentations "Best Posters of the GDR". He participated in exhibitions in Prague , Warsaw , Moscow , Budapest , Brno and Washington, DC

It is said of his work:

“In this work you can feel the freedom in creative implementation, but also the responsibility towards the client. He was able to be both an artist and a service provider. "

- On the death of Lothar Freund

The pictorial ideas of his works were characterized as "sometimes bitterly serious, often satirical and funny or enigmatic".

Another appreciation has come down to us from Frank Diemar in relation to Erfurt and Thuringia:

“He was and is a commercial artist out of conviction and thus a designer of the public image and a great visual chronicler (...) of this city and in this country. What has he not designed in 60 years of professional activity: posters, banners, trademarks and logos, letterheads and business cards, packaging, brochures, among other things, many programs and of course books and calendars - many of them illustrated himself. So there is hardly a commercial graphic task that he would not have successfully solved. "

- Frank Diemar : On the death of Lothar Freund

His book designs for various publishers are also characterized by balanced typographical and illustrative solutions. This also applies to the volume he wrote, Freund-creates , a gift to himself and his literary skills.

After his 80th birthday in 2010, Freund decided to leave his collection of 411 works to the City of Erfurt. The collection consists of posters, logos and other graphic works. On July 17, 2012, a ceremonial handover of the collection of works took place in the Small Synagogue in Erfurt. In the process, Freund signed a deed of donation to the Erfurt City Museum . With the donation, Freund's graphic life's work will be incorporated into the cultural memory of the city of Erfurt, said the city museum director Hardy Eidam and Erfurt's cultural director Tobias J. Knoblich . Behind Freund's visual implementation lies factual knowledge - and a psychological feel for form and color combinations in connection with suitable typography. Museum director Eidam explained in this context that the city museum sees itself as a citizens' museum, and thanked for the unexpected expansion through the donation, especially since commercial graphics still eke out a niche existence in most museums.

One of the donated works was the best known: the draft of the Thuringian state coat of arms in A1 format - one of the historically most important and powerful examples of the collection of works. The state symbol makes it clear how nonsensical it is to speak of the “new” or “young” state of Thuringia - hardly any other federal member of the Federal Republic can look back on 1500 years of history.

Works (selection)

graphic

Well-known graphic works are:

literature

Awards

Freund's work extended beyond regional borders, as international diplomas prove. He received z. B. in Washington a price for the company logo VEB Hundeleinen Kaltennordheim at the "Trade Mark '80" and in Jerusalem a recognition at the "Self Image" 1986. Numerous logos and posters are known beyond Erfurt's city limits and have been given prizes, see above For example the posters for the production of fish for four , The Earthquake in Chili , Rigoletto and Fidelio , the furnishings for the Kaisersaal Erfurt, the logo of the city of Weißensee and the logo for the Philharmonic Society of Erfurt, as well as his illustrations for productions by Don Quixote , The Beast of Samarkand and The Old Lady's Visit .

Web links

References and comments

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Iris Pelny: Graphic artist Lothar Freund leaves 411 works to the Erfurt Museum. In: Thüringer Allgemeine online. July 18, 2012, accessed September 23, 2017 .
  2. ↑ a b c Steffen Raßloff : Coat of arms of the Free State of Thuringia. In: erfurt-web.de. August 7, 2012, accessed September 24, 2017 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e f On the death of Lothar Freund. In: Erfurt.de. August 1, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2017 .
  4. ↑ Obituary notice. In: Thüringer Allgemeine online. July 29, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2017 .
  5. ↑ a b c d New collection for the city museum. (No longer available online.) In: Das Magazin Erfurt. Archived from the original on September 28, 2017 ; accessed on September 28, 2017 . 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. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.dasmagazinerfurt.de
  6. ↑ List of members of the Runneburg Association Weißensee / Thüringen e. V. October 25, 2005, accessed September 28, 2017 .
  7. ↑ a b Picture gallery: Lothar Freund Collection - Erfurt graphic artist Lothar Freund donates his graphic life's work to the city museum. In: Erfurt.de. August 14, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2017 .
  8. ↑ Another example of the GDR's solidarity with Vietnam in the form of commercial graphics was the invincible Vietnam stamp series (1966–1979) - without Lothar Freund's participation.
personal data
SURNAME Friend, Lothar
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German graphic artist
DATE OF BIRTH April 18, 1930
PLACE OF BIRTH Stockhausen
DATE OF DEATH July 13, 2017
Place of death Erfurt