Otto Arpke

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Poster by Otto Arpke for the IPA - International Fur Exhibition, International Hunting Exhibition, Leipzig 1930

Otto Arpke (born October 16, 1886 in Braunschweig , † December 4, 1943 in Berlin ) was a German painter, illustrator and commercial artist from the interwar period; At times he taught at the art and trade school in Mainz . He gained fame among other things through the design of film posters for the film Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari , of posters for the North German Lloyd as well as the wall decorations of the Zeppelins Hindenburg and Graf Zeppelin II and the prospectus for the 1936 Berlin Olympics . He also designed the covers for the magazine Die neue Linie .

Life

Youth, training and participation in the war

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Otto Arpke was born in Braunschweig as the son of button maker and mother-of-pearl turner Otto Wilhelm Arpke . He grew up with his five siblings in Hanover and attended the community school there for eight years. He described his parents' house as an artisan middle class, there were limited but solid conditions. He also spent a five-year apprenticeship as a lithographer in Hanover and attended the arts and crafts school at the same time. From this time there are some pen drawings that the 14 to 15 year old Arpke was able to make on the basis of nature studies.

In 1905 he moved to Düsseldorf to take lessons from August Schlueter , two years later he moved to Brussels and worked there as a decorator . In addition, he dealt with free painting and was inspired by many Belgian artists. At the age of 22, in 1908, he did his active service with the Prussian Infantry Regiment 99 in Zabern . There he painted a battle picture for the casino. From 1911 to 1912 he worked as a painter and graphic artist for the Leunis & Chapmann company in Hanover.

Arpke went to Berlin in 1912 . There he met Emil Orlik and was influenced by his Japanese art. He worked independently as a painter and graphic artist until the outbreak of the First World War . As a lieutenant in the infantry, he took part in the campaigns in France and Russia . After the war, Arpke openly described himself as an opponent of the war. Some works and sketches from his wartime survival, many pictures were created under the influence of Paul Scheurich .

Activity in Berlin

Soon after the First World War, Arpke went back to Berlin and secured his existence in the advertising industry. In 1919 he founded the Stahl-Arpke advertising company together with Erich Ludwig Stahl . 6 years later he had his own studio with up to ten employees.

During this decade Otto Arpke devoted himself more and more to commercial graphics and took on numerous commissions from business. He designed the Arpke Antiqua font , which was digitized as Taiko . Among other things, he designed a poster for the film Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari , which became famous in 1920, as well as other posters for trade fairs and exhibitions such as the "IPA International Fur Exhibition " 1930 in Leipzig . Arpke's works are largely influenced by the New Objectivity and Art Deco . He implemented his style with his preferred spraying technique in tempera with the help of stencils.

In addition, Otto Arpke became increasingly involved in teaching, but nevertheless continued to run his Berlin company. In 1928 he received a professorship at the art and trade school in Mainz , where he led the graphics class. In 1930 he taught in the study ateliers for fine and applied arts Lewin Funcke in Berlin and from 1932 held a position in the private art school Contempora in the subjects of fashion and commercial graphics, under the direction of Fritz August Breuhaus . In 1933 Arpke left Mainz for good and returned to Berlin. There he taught until his death at the Higher Graphic School in Berlin as head of the commercial graphics department.

time of the nationalsocialism

...

plant

Free work

  • drawings
  • Paintings
  • various

Commissioned work

Ex libris , book and writing
Film and theater
Trade and industry
  • Envelopes for wine lists
  • Logo for spirits
Fashion and cosmetics
Advertising balls Berlin
  • Poster and invitation to the costume party "Im Reiche der Reklame" Berlin 1928
Government and major contracts
traffic

literature

  • Hohenstein, Siglinde. Otto Arpke (1886–1943): Work and Effect : Exhibition, May 15 to December 31, 1981, Gutenberg Museum Mainz.

Web links

Commons : Otto Arpke  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

supporting documents

  1. ↑ MyFonts: Taiko , accessed 8 June 2012 Google
personal data
SURNAME Arpke, Otto
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German painter, illustrator and commercial artist
DATE OF BIRTH October 16, 1886
PLACE OF BIRTH Braunschweig
DATE OF DEATH December 4, 1943
Place of death Berlin