Paul Kälberer
Paul Kälberer (born December 17, 1896 in Stuttgart , † January 3, 1974 in Sulz-Glatt ) is a painter and graphic artist with his works in the period up to around 1936 to the circle of the New Objectivity .
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Paul Kälberer was born in Stuttgart in 1896 as the son of a pietistic family of craftsmen. In 1914 he took part in the First World War, in 1920 he returned from French captivity. From 1920 to 1926 Kälberer studied at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart under Christian Landenberger and Eckener. In 1928 he took part in an exhibition of the Stuttgart Secession for the first time . Between 1924 and 1933 he made three extended trips to Italy, in the course of which he wrote numerous works. In 1927 he married the artist Gesa Rautenberg and moved from Stuttgart to Glatt (Sulz am Neckar). From 1928 Kälberer was a member of the German Association of Artists until it was dissolved by the National Socialists in 1936. In 1930 the Association of Friends of Swabian Graphics was founded (members include Reinhold Nägele and Wilhelm Geyer ), and Kälberer took over as chairman until 1941. In 1933 there was a resolution against the National Socialist art policy, as a result of which he repeatedly refused an appointment to the Stuttgart Academy between 1934 and 1938. In 1937, Kälberer received the gold medal at the World Exhibition in Paris for nine etchings. In 1945 the Association of Visual Artists South Württemberg-Hohenzollern was founded and in 1946 the Bernstein School, which he directed until 1951, was founded . In 1954 he was a committed advocate of the All-German People's Party under Gustav Heinemann . In the period from 1952 to 1969, Kälberer produced numerous murals and glass windows in public and church buildings. Kälberer died on January 3, 1974 in Sulz-Glatt.
Artistic work
Paul Kälberer broke away from his teachers early on in order to find his own means of expression. So he followed neither the late impressionist painting style of Christian Landenberger , whose master class he was, nor the more naturalistic approach of Eckener, who instructed him in the art of etching. He also eluded the expressionist, pathetic style of Heinrich Altherr , whose artistic, uncompromising ethos he appreciated all the more. The later friendship could also be based on this appreciation. Paul Kälberer looked for his "role models" elsewhere and integrated such opposing influences as the Quattrocento , which he experienced intensely drawing and copying, the Dutch of the 17th century, Paul Cézanne and Far Eastern suggestions. He was convinced that the artist can only derive his legitimacy from his individuality, from his personal performance, because, he remarked aptly, "otherwise what was created before him and what is created next to him would have to suffice" . Epigonism, the opportunistic swimming in a fashion trend are thus rejected from the start.
As a result, he set himself apart from the “socially critical wing” of the New Objectivity, which could by no means correspond to his reserved nature. Nevertheless, it is reforesting the "checklist" of Franz Roh by, in this schematically the Expressionism of the New Objectivity facing, it becomes clear that almost all the criteria of the new art movement are met: "Sober items strictly purist, static, silent, cool until cold, thin layer of paint ” , to name just a few outstanding ones. The painting materials listed here suggest that they can be classified as New Objectivity. On the other hand, their implementation and even more so the underlying artistic concept also shows the limits of the connection. Therefore, a classification in the "classic wing" around Kanoldt and Schrimpf should be seen as a workaround, because Paul Kälberer set his own standards and his development went in a different direction. He himself would probably have refused a classification.
A special feature of his style is, and this applies to his entire work, a tireless striving for balance and harmony, which do not want to be idyll, but the result of a balanced triangular relationship between object (object), sensation (heart) and artistic creative drive (composition ), d. H. the taming of sometimes contradicting elements: "In this way, the results of obvious perception, intellectual reflection and an enthusiastic heart can be harmoniously united in the creative act." It is therefore not surprising that Paul Kälberer, true to this conviction, did not miss abstract art, but went on his own way.
The oeuvre includes numerous oil paintings, especially landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and depictions of flowers and animals. The graphic work, with a focus on etching and lithography, amounts to several hundred sheets. A large number of murals and glass windows in public and church buildings should also be mentioned. The so far hardly researched and known graphic work is immense.
Around 200 solo exhibitions and participation in group exhibitions in Germany and abroad during the artist's lifetime alone, as well as the art educational work in his own studio and within the framework of the Bernstein School and, last but not least, the organizational achievements in the post-war period have shaped the artistic landscape in southern Germany.
Major works
- Family portrait (1929–1931)
- Cows at the drinking point (1927–1929)
- Rottweiler fools (1929/1930)
- Winter on the Alb (1927)
- Portrait Gesa Kälberer (1926/1927)
- Memory of 1916 (1926–1928)
Paul Kälberer Art Foundation
On December 17, 2008, the "Paul Kälberer Art Foundation", established by the artist Paul Kälberer's six children and four grandchildren with the participation of the city of Sulz am Neckar, the Rottweil district and the Rottweil district savings bank, was recognized as a legal foundation. The Paul Kälberer Art Foundation is a non-profit foundation under civil law. It has set itself the task of preserving Paul Kälberer's artistic legacy. In the spirit of its namesake, it pursues the goal of introducing young people to the visual arts.
In addition to the artist's studio building and the associated land, all of his graphic work and his written estate were contributed to the foundation. The foundation keeps over 700 etchings, over 400 lithographs and more than 3,000 drawings as well as numerous text and image documents.
As a memorial , the studio and garden reflect the living environment of an artist personality of the 20th century; they are preserved in an authentic state. Selected etchings and lithographs are shown in the graphics room. In the painting room, paintings from different creative phases can be seen in changing thematic exhibitions.
The foundation area is located in the Glatt district of Sulzer, not far from the town center (Paul-Kälberer-Weg 19); it can be reached on foot in a few minutes from the moated castle.
Honors and posthumous exhibitions
- Gold medal for etchings at the World Exhibition in Paris (1937)
- Federal Cross of Merit 1st Class (1966) for the cultural development of Württemberg-Hohenzollern
- Numerous posthumous exhibitions (Stuttgart, Rottweil, Hohenkarpfen Art Foundation , Freudenstadt, Böblingen, Horb, Lauterbach etc.)
- Permanent exhibition sponsored by the Rottweil district with major works in the Paul-Kälberer-Kabinett of the culture and museum center Schloss Glatt near Sulz
Literature (selection)
- Ludwig Dietz, Hans Dieter Mück (ed.): Paul Kälberer. A painter and etcher of the New Objectivity. Stuttgart 1989.
- Bernhard Rüth, Andreas Zoller (ed.): Paul Kälberer - Art of New Objectivity in Swabia , 2 volumes, Hohenkarpfen Art Museum, Hausen o. V./Rottweil 1992, ISBN 3-928-86904-3
- Bernhard Rüth (Ed.): Calves in Bernstein . Sulz a. N. 1992.
- Bernhard Rüth, Andreas Zoller: New Objectivity in Swabia , in: Weltkunst Jhrg. 62/10, 1992, (p. 1325–1327)
- Ludwig Dietz (Ed.): Paul Kälberer as graphic artist , Horb aN 1989 (first systematic recording of the graphic work)
- Eva-Marina Froitzheim, Isabel Grüner, Bernhard Rüth, Andreas Zoller (eds.): Die Bernsteinschule , Hausen o. V./Rottweil 1995
- Christine Dietz, Bernhard Rüth (Ed.): The Bernstein School. The nucleus of post-war art , Rottweil District Office, Ravensburg / Rottweil 1998. ISBN 3-928-86910-8
- Markus Heinzelmann : The landscape painting of the New Objectivity and its reception at the time of National Socialism , Verlag Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 1998. ISBN 3-631-34314-0
swell
- ^ Bert Schlichtenmaier: Stuttgart's rise to the art city (1913-1933). On the history of the academy and the artists' associations . In: Wendelin Renn, Horst Zimmermann, Andreas Zoller (eds.): Southwest German art between tradition and modernity 1914-1945 . Thorbecke, Sigmaringen 1993, p. 44 and 242 .
- ↑ kuenstlerbund.de: Full members of the Deutscher Künstlerbund since it was founded in 1903 / Kälberer, Paul ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed on September 4, 2015)
- ^ Franz Roh: Post-Expressionism, 1925
- ^ "Ways to Art", 1922, unpublished manuscript
Web links
- Literature by and about Paul Kälberer in the catalog of the German National Library
- Homepage of Paul Kälberer - An artist of the New Objectivity
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kälberer, Paul |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German painter and graphic artist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 17, 1896 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Stuttgart |
| DATE OF DEATH | 3rd January 1974 |
| Place of death | Glatt (Sulz am Neckar) |