Mela Escherich

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Mela Escherich , b. Emilie Welzhofer (born January 31, 1877 in Munich , † September 26, 1956 in Wiesbaden ) was a German art historian and writer whose name is known in Wiesbaden in connection with various Wiesbaden painters . Along with Hanna Bekker vom Rath , Hedwig Brugmann and Lisa Kümmel, she is one of the so-called. “Emergency helpers” by the artist Alexej von Jawlensky .

youth

Little is known about Mela Escherich's schooling. Her father was the historian and playwright Heinrich Welzhofer (1851-1911), her mother was the writer and editor Emilie Escherich (1856-1953). She used her maiden name as a pseudonym . The daughter Mela followed her mother's example and, as an author, used the name Escherich in addition to the abbreviation “ch”.

Education

From Clemens Weiler , the former director of the Wiesbaden Museum and first Jawlensky biographer, we learn that Mela Escherich u. a. studied art history with Henry Thode .

Professional activities

Escherich wrote treatises not only on art-historical topics, such as Matthias Grünewald , Konrad Witz , Ludwig Richter or single-leaf woodcuts , but also on legends and fairy tales .

James Pitcairn-Knowles

From around 1900 she reported on art exhibitions in Wiesbaden, e. B. in the Nassau Annals . When the Scottish painter James Pitcairn-Knowles had built Freudenberg Palace in Wiesbaden and became a popular portraitist , she dedicated an article to him in the Wiesbaden paper Die Weltkurstadt in 1912 , which dealt with his favorite subject in his painting, the portrayal of beautiful women . In it, she describes Pitcairn-Knowles as a painter "who seeks to portray the deeper essence of modern society [...] in an ethical sense in social people, especially women." In an article for the magazine Der Cicerone , she formulated: "His Art breathes high culture, sensitive taste, spiritualistic empathy for the secret realm of the feminine. "

Hans Völcker

After the cataloging of the picture gallery of the Wiesbaden Museum by the Nassauischer Kunstverein , Escherich was entrusted with the reorganization of the collection together with the painter Hans Völcker in 1911/12.

Alexej Jawlensky

For Jawlensky to Escherich dedicated in a special way. She probably got to know him in 1922 when he moved to Wiesbaden - her home - "vis-a-vis", as it were, on Nikolasstrasse (today Bahnhofstrasse) with his wife Helene and son Andreas .

Escherich must have had extremely friendly contact with the small Jawlensky family very quickly, because as early as 1924 they wrote an essay on painting by Andreas as if she had been there when he received his first painting lessons: "'I would like to paint something too," said little Andre as he watched his father paint. 'Good' replied Alexej v. Jawlensky, do we want to paint a still life ? ,What's this?' You will see.' After this conversation, the father put some objects in front of the six-year-old son, who did not yet know what a still life was, and the child painted them. This resulted in a series of works ready for exhibition. "

Various data on this event can be found in the literature. So Andreas “started to paint as a little four year old in his father's studio in Munich”. That would have been 1906. Andreas himself supplied the same date when he claimed: "It was in the summer until December 1906, [...] I was four years old at the time and received a paint box from Nikolaus [...] in Wasserburg ." But Andreas' statement is correct therefore inconsistent because he had spent the time in question in France. According to Escherich, however, this event took place in 1908. Another art historian said: "His first picture was taken in 1907." At that time, Andreas was only five years old. - Elisabeth Erdmann-Macke , August Macke's wife , got to know Andreas' early drawings in 1910. She judged their peculiarity unequivocally, as "children's drawings" and not as paintings.

In 1926 Escherich wrote a treatise entitled Russian Art in Germany , in which the artistic stations of Jawlensky and those of his close companions took up a relatively large space. She characterized him as one of “those elegant figures whose art touches us like a breath from a better world. Here there is peace over the conflict of directions. Abstract art, you can probably still use the word; but not as much as with others. […] Today Jawlensky has found a certain style, a certain motif, on which he concentrates almost exclusively. The heads. A series of heads in which a feeling, a mood is expressed with incredibly simple means. "

Jawlensky complained of Escherich, like his girlfriend Galka Scheyer, several times: “I am still so little understood” or “New minds are not understood until now”. This is the only way to understand that a year later, in 1927, she put her pen into the service of the master in order to awaken understanding of his work. She practically invoked her readers when she wrote: “Art is grace. Revelation. Open the curtain behind which the mystery shines. Jawlensky's art leads us into this sphere. His pictures are timeless and placeless. "

Letters from the clinics in Stuttgart, Piešťany and Bad Wörishofen

Among the autographs of the RheinMain university and state library in Wiesbaden are some letters that Jawlensky Escherich wrote in 1930 from a clinic in Stuttgart and from the Piešťany spa in Czechoslovakia .

On August 9th, he complimented her on the way she used to write: “Everything you write in books is so talented and interesting that I am convinced that you will surely find a publisher for your latest work. You have a [too] good name for that. I am now reading the drama of light in Matthias Grünewald's work by Roman Boos . Anthroposophical declaration. Interesting."

A letter dated July 12 informs about jealousies among Jawensky's friends, in which he asked Escherich not to tell Heinrich Kirchhoff's wife, whom he addressed as "Dusy" in order to disguise his relationship with her, that his girlfriend " Lisa ” in Stuttgart. The aforementioned letter also shows that Escherich and Kümmel provided Jawlensky with reading material that was important to him, namely the Cahiers d'Art and the Cicerone , the “bi-monthly publication for artists, art lovers and collectors”.

From Piešťany he wrote to Escherich on August 4, 1930 that “old Mucha” was also currently staying in the seaside resort: “He would like to get to know me.” Five days later he was able to tell Escherich about the encounter: “He has been in Lived in Paris and was often with Gauguin and Strindberg and various artists, including Sliwinsky , whom I and our family knew very, very well. "

On September 15, 1932, Jawlensky wrote from Bad Wörishofen , where he was staying for the Sebastian Kneipp water cure : “My dear friend Mela! Just back from a little walk. [...] I have a very beautiful avenue of birch trees here. […] For me the birch is Russia and my youth and the gaze between the trees is a woman, beautiful woman. And since I don't have one here, I talk to birches. They'll say 'poor Jawlensky.' […] I'll probably go to Munich Tuesday, September 20th and stay there for a few days and then home. I want to see art, visit Erbslöh and even see Munich again. So many memories, so many! "

For Jawlensky's 70th birthday

Jawlensky's anniversary day was celebrated on March 26, 1934. Escherich dedicated a small biography with two illustrations, printed in Wiesbaden . With her she tried to attract art collectors to the purchase of Jawlensky works by raving to the reader: “In Europe, America, Australia, one can find works by him as carefully guarded treasures everywhere. Understanding this art is like devotion to religion. [...] It is said of enthusiasts that they can no longer live without these images. [...] forms of holy austerity. Colors in incomprehensibly happy combinations. Radiance of a glowing and spiritual artist soul. Breath of the divine, what is it? We get awesome. Let's call it beauty! "

How happy Jawlensky was that day can be learned from a letter he wrote to Scheyer: “My 70th year ended very solemnly. In the morning I received lots and lots of letters. From Kandinskys . Hartmann (musician) and Arp from Paris. Nolde sent me a very nice letter in a lithograph , plus a basket full of flowers and candy. Very, very dear. Schmidt Rottluff wrote a touching letter, as did Kolbe , Harth and Heckel . Klee wrote to me from Bern , and Felix Klee from Ulm. Feininger has not forgotten me either [...] Many, many telegrams and my room was full of flowers. People have written about me in newspapers in Berlin, Stuttgart and Bern. "

He did not mention Mela Escherich's publication, because Jawlensky had previously advocated the maxim “name must be” with regard to a biography . And in his opinion Escherich didn't have that after all. As an author who could write a book about him and his art, he named the Marburg “Prof. Hamann ” , who“ has a lot of understanding for art and rubs very well ”. Jawlensky would also have accepted Will Grohmann , who has a doctorate in art history , “the most important person for modern art”.

Jawlensky's dedications for Mela Escherich

Through the letter of July 12th, one learns that Escherich supported the painter financially: “Mela, I am so deeply grateful to you for the money, so touched that I cannot find any words. […] I can only thank you with my art. ”Jawlensky presented her with picture gifts. His catalog raisonné can name eleven paintings, four drawings and two postcards from Escherich's former possession. He dedicated some of the works .

painting

  • 1927: A picture title reads: "Portrait of Mela Escherich" ,
  • 1927: "For Miss Mela Escherich in deepest admiration",
  • 1933: "Out of gratitude to my dear friend Mela",
  • 1933: "A Christmas greeting from A. Jawlensky to Mela Escherich",
  • 1936: "To my dear friend Mella for Christmas"

watercolor

1931: "For Mella Escherich"

postcard

1931: A postcard shows his self-portrait and the portrait of Lisa Kümmel and contains the text: “Hello! Hello! Mela! I'm still here, not dead yet. Come to The. "

Fonts (selection)

  • The school of Cologne (= studies on German art history, issue 89). Heitz, Strasbourg 1907 ( digitized version )
  • Ludwig Richter and his art . Müller, Stuttgart 1907.
  • Grünewald Bibliography (1489 – June 1914) (= Studies on German Art History, No. 177). Heitz, Strasbourg 1914
  • Konrad Witz . Heitz, Strasbourg 1914
  • Single sheet prints of the Grand Ducal Hessian State Museum in Darmstadt . Heitz, Stuttgart 1916
  • Single shape cuts and single sheet prints from the Kestner Museum in Hanover . Heitz, Strasbourg 1916

' Single-sheet prints from the Prince Secondary Library in Dresden . Heitz, Strasbourg 1916

  • Rhine legends . Konegens Jugendschriftenverlag, Vienna 1921
  • Hessian legends . Konegens Jugendschriftenverlag, Vienna 1924
  • Andre Nesnakomoff-Jawlensky, In: The Cicerone. Half-monthly publication for artists, art lovers and collectors, XVI. Vol., 1924, Vol. XVII., 1925, p. 311 f.
  • Russian Art in Germany, In: Osteuropa, August 1926, pp. 457 ff.
  • Alexej Jawlensky, In: Fremdblatt und Wochenend, newspaper for Wiesbaden, Mainz, Rhine region, born 1927, 10. – 16. September, p. 3 ff.
  • Alexej von Jawlensky. To the master on his 70th birthday, Wiesbaden March 26, 1934

literature

  • Carl Emde: Mela Escherich, the art historian. Wiesbadener Tagblatt, September 16, 1963

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Alexander Hildebrand: Alexej Jawlensky in Wiesbaden. Reflexes on Life and Work (1921-1941) . In: Jawlensky's Japanese woodcut collection. A fairytale discovery , edition of the Administration of State Palaces and Gardens, Bad Homburg vdH, No. 2, 1992, p. 56 ff.
  2. ↑ Alexander Hildebrand: Alexej Jawlensky in Wiesbaden. Reflexes on Life and Work (1921-1941) . In: Jawlensky's Japanese woodcut collection. A fairytale discovery , edition by the Administration of State Palaces and Gardens, Bad Homburg vdH, No. 2, 1992, p. 57.
  3. ↑ Clemens Weiler: Alexej Jawlensky . Cologne 1959, p. 125.
  4. ↑ Mela Escherich: The painter of elegant women, James Pitcairn-Knowles . In: Die Weltkurstadt , H. 16/17, 2nd year, 1912, p. 227.
  5. ↑ ch. [Mela Escherich]: The AKTUARYUS art salon . In: The Cicerone. Semi-monthly publication for artists, art lovers and collectors 4, 1912, p. 401.
  6. ^ Mela Escherich in the Wiesbaden city dictionary
  7. ↑ Alexander Hildebrand: Alexej Jawlensky in Wiesbaden. Reflexes on Life and Work (1921-1941) . In: Jawlensky's Japanese woodcut collection. A fairytale discovery , edition by the Administration of State Palaces and Gardens, Bad Homburg vdH, No. 2, 1992, p. 57.
  8. ^ Maria Jawlensky, Lucia Pieroni-Jawlensky and Angelica Jawlensky (eds.), Alexej von Jawlensky, Catalog Raisonné of the oil-paintings, Vol. 1, Munich 1991, p. 20.
  9. ↑ Mela Escherich: Andre Nesnakomoff-Jawlensky. In: The Cicerone. Half-monthly publication for artists, art lovers and collectors , XVI. Vol., 1924, Vol. XVII., 1925, p. 311.
  10. ↑ Clemens Weiler: Alexej Jawlensky . Cologne 1959, p. 109.
  11. ↑ Gottlieb Leinz: Jawlensky's stay in Wasserburg 1906/07 , in exh. Cat .: Alexej Jawlensky, From image to original, Gallery in the Ganserhaus, Wasserburg am Inn 1979, p. 25 and note 5.
  12. ↑ Bernd Fäthke: Werefkin and Jawlensky with their son Andreas in the "Murnauer Zeit" . In: exhib. Cat .: 1908-2008, 100 years ago, Kandinsky, Münter, Jawlensky, Werefkin in Murnau, Murnau Castle Museum 2008, p. 46 ff.
  13. ↑ Ulrich Schmidt: The beautiful world of Andreas Jawlensky, paintings, pastels, watercolors, graphics , exhib. Cat.Museum Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden 1978, p. 2.
  14. ^ Elisabeth Erdmann-Macke: Memories of August Macke . Frankfurt 1987, p. 240.
  15. ^ Mela Escherich: Russian Art in Germany . In: Eastern Europe , August 1926, p. 461.
  16. ↑ Exhib. Cat .: Alexej Jawlensky 1864–1941, Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich 1983, p. 113, Jawlensky an Scheyer, end of December 1924.
  17. ↑ Bernd Fäthke, Alexej Jawlensky, heads etched and painted, Die Wiesbadener Jahre, Galerie Draheim, Wiesbaden 2012, p. 35, ISBN 978-3-00-037815-7 .
  18. ↑ Clemens Weiler: Alexej Jawlensky . Cologne 1959, p. 125.
  19. ↑ Mela Escherich, Alexej Jawlensky . In: Fremdblatt und Wochenend, newspaper for Wiesbaden, Mainz, Rhine region , year 1927, 10. – 16. September, p. 3 f.
  20. ↑ RheinMain University and State Library, Inv. No. Hs. 315, (1-6).
  21. ↑ Clemens Weiler, Alexej Jawlensky, Heads-Face-Meditations, Hanau 1970, p. 122.
  22. ↑ He ligated the confidential “you” with the formal salutation “you”, see: Helga Lukowsky, Jawlenskys Abendsonne, Der Maler und die Künstlerin Lisa Kümmel, Königstein / Taunus 2000, p. 38.
  23. ↑ Alexander Hildebrand, Calls from Despair, Alexej von Jawlensky in Wiesbaden (VII), In: Wiesbadener Leben, 11/1991, p. 26.
  24. ↑ Clemens Weiler, Alexej Jawlensky, Heads-Face-Meditations, Hanau 1970, p. 122.
  25. ↑ Clemens Weiler, Alexej Jawlensky, Heads-Face-Meditations, Hanau 1970, p. 122 f.
  26. ↑ Alexander Hildebrand, Calls from Despair, Alexej von Jawlensky in Wiesbaden (VIII), In: Wiesbadener Leben, 11/1991, p. 29.
  27. ^ Mela Escherich, Alexej von Jawlensky, The Master for his 70th Birthday, Wiesbaden, March 26, 1934, Carl Ritter GMBH, Wiesbaden 1934.
  28. ^ Mela Escherich, Alexej von Jawlensky, Dem Meister zum 70th Birthday, Wiesbaden, March 26, 1934, Carl Ritter GMBH, Wiesbaden 1934, o. P.
  29. ↑ Jawlensky to Scheyer, April 2, 1934
  30. ↑ Bernd Fäthke, Jawlensky and his companions in a new light, Munich 2004, pp. 187f.
  31. ↑ Maria Jawlensky, Lucia Pieroni-Jawlensky and Angelica Jawlensky (eds.), Alexej von Jawlensky, Catalog Raisonné of the Oil Paintings, Vol. 1–3, Munich 1991-1993, No .: 263, 703, 1263, 1270, 1271 , 1344, 1417, 1428, 1674, 1733, 1807
  32. ↑ Maria Jawlensky, Lucia Pieroni-Jawlensky and Angelica Jawlensky (eds.), Alexej von Jawlensky, Catalog Raisonné Volume Four, The Watercolors and Drawings 1890-1938, Vol. 4, Munich 1998, No. 623, 638, 641, 648, 666 and 693
  33. ↑ Maria Jawlensky, Lucia Pieroni-Jawlensky, Angelica Jawlensky (eds.): Alexej von Jawlensky, Catalog Raisonné of the oil-paintings , Vol. 2, Munich 1992, p. 404 No. 1270 [The Catalog Raisonné provides no evidence that the title could be authentic!].
  34. ^ Maria Jawlensky, Lucia Pieroni-Jawlensky, Angelica Jawlensky (Eds.): Alexej von Jawlensky, Catalog Raisonné of the oil-paintings , Vol. 2, Munich 1992, p. 405 No. 1270.
  35. ^ Maria Jawlensky, Lucia Pieroni-Jawlensky, Angelica Jawlensky (eds.): Alexej von Jawlensky, Catalog Raisonné of the oil-paintings , Vol. 2, Munich 1992, p. 481 No. 1417.
  36. ↑ Maria Jawlensky, Lucia Pieroni-Jawlensky, Angelica Jawlensky (eds.): Alexej von Jawlensky, Catalog Raisonné of the oil-paintings , Vol. 2, Munich 1992, p. 486 no. 1428.
  37. ↑ Maria Jawlensky, Lucia Pieroni-Jawlensky, Angelica Jawlensky (Eds.): Alexej von Jawlensky, Catalog Raisonné of the oil-paintings , Vol. 3, Munich 1993, p. 180 No. 1807.
  38. ↑ Maria Jawlensky, Lucia Pieroni-Jawlensky, Angelica Jawlensky (eds.): Alexej von Jawlensky, Catalog Raisonné Vol. 4: The Watercolors and Drawings 1890-1938 , Munich 1998, p. 253 No. 648.
  39. ↑ Maria Jawlensky, Lucia Pieroni-Jawlensky, Angelica Jawlensky (eds.): Alexej von Jawlensky, Catalog Raisonné . Vol. 4: The Watercolors and Drawings 1890-1938 , Munich 1998, p. 239 No. 641.
personal data
SURNAME Escherich, Mela
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Welzhofer, Emilie (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German art historian
DATE OF BIRTH January 31, 1877
PLACE OF BIRTH Munich
DATE OF DEATH September 26, 1956
Place of death Wiesbaden