Othmar Jaindl

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Othmar Jaindl (born September 16, 1911 in Sankt Veit an der Glan ; † January 1, 1982 ) was an Austrian sculptor .

Life

Until 1928, Othmar Jaindl attended the federal college for construction and applied arts specializing in woodworking in Villach . In 1929 he was an assistant to the sculptor Max Domenig in Hallein . From 1929 to 1932 he studied at the Vienna School of Applied Arts with Anton Hanak and from 1932 to 1939 at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna with Anton Hanak and Albert Bechtold . From 1940 to 1945 he did military service. From 1946 he worked as a freelance artist in his parents' house in St. Ruprecht in Villach. In 1950 he built his own studio house in St. Andrä in Villach, which is still in its original state at Villach Othmar-Jaindl-Weg 1, at the foot of the Landskron castle ruins. Protected by large trees, it surprises with its round facade and flat roof, which must have appeared pioneeringly modern when it was built in the 1950s.

Othmar Jaindl (right) in front of his house and studio in Landskron. In the middle his friend Georg Fohn and his daughter Helga Mrkvicka.
signature
Sculpture, Othmar Jaindl (1911–1982), Landskron / Villach, Austria
Holy Family, approx. 1966, Othmar Jaindl (1911–1982), Sculptor from Landskron / Villach, Austria

Wooden sculptures that stand in the open around the house greet the visitor and tower up like memorials. Each carved out of a trunk, they make sublimity and pride noticeable and, despite their size and mass, seem downright light and full of life. Whoever enters the house is captured by the spirit of the artist who lives in each of his graceful sculptures. The wooden sculptures, between 40 centimeters and several meters high, stand in the studio like children big and small, each one unique in shape and type of wood. A damp wood smell permeates the house, which has been uninhabited for 25 years (urgently in need of renovation) and which Jaindl had built according to his own plans. Details such as an armchair carved from a trunk, a futuristic-looking cloakroom made of forks or a generous door handle made of a branch that has been retained in its naturally grown shape make the visitor linger and admire. How devoted the sculptor was in his lifelong dialogue with wood is shown by the fact that shortly before his death he built a special room next to his studio to accommodate the 3.20 meter high sculpture “Concert” (Linde, 1968).

Othmar Jaindl is described as a non-conformist outsider, as someone who devoted himself exclusively to his art throughout his life and yet was never able to gain a foothold in the art scene. During the Second World War, during which Jaindl had to spend a few years in Norway and Finland, the vast forests inspired him so much that from 1945 he preferred wood as the sole working material. In the next 15 years, archaic figures and heads emerged, knowing the value of life, which counts for nothing in war. He lived in harmony with nature, drew strength from it, was an enthusiastic mountaineer and collector of minerals and loved to conquer the expanses of the Ossiacher See on ice in winter. He didn't own a car or a moped, but was a committed cyclist - today he would be called a “dropout”.

Notes from the 1950s show how much Jaindl was ahead of his time. The decisive factor is becoming, because the finished form is the beginning of decay. - explained Othmar Jaindl and looked at the logs, which he often selected with great material difficulties in the mountains and then acquired, with awe and a deep understanding of nature.

Only two sculptures by the artist, who is often plagued by existential hardships and who developed an astonishingly diverse yet self-contained work, can be admired in his sphere of activity in Villach and the surrounding area in public places: in front of the Ossiach Abbey, where a nine-meter-high oak stele stands , and in Paternion, where Jaindl created a monument out of Krastal marble. The sculptor's studio, which still houses many sculptures by Othmar Jaindl, can be visited with his relatives by prior arrangement; the garden is freely accessible.

Works

Exhibitions

Publications

  • Sculptures. Introduction by Grete Misar , publisher of the Carinthian State Government and City of Villach, Ritter Verlag, Klagenfurt 1975.
  • Peter Baum : Othmar Jaindl. 1911 - 1982. Illustrated book on sculptures, Ritter Verlag, Klagenfurt 1986, ISBN 3-85415-042-3 .

Web links

Commons : Othmar Jaindl  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lifelong dialogue with wood. Visit of the studio in memory of the sculptor Othmar Jaindl (1911–1982). ( Memento from February 9, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ On the 100th birthday of Othmar Jaindl  ( 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. City of Villach, August 25, 2011@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.villach.at  
personal data
SURNAME Jaindl, Othmar
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian sculptor
DATE OF BIRTH September 16, 1911
PLACE OF BIRTH Sankt Veit an der Glan
DATE OF DEATH January 1, 1982