Paul Wyss (arts and crafts teacher)

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Paul Wyss (born December 12, 1875 in Brienz , † April 29, 1952 in Bern ) was a Swiss painter , draftsman , graphic artist and arts and crafts teacher . His motto in life was "Work as long as it is day."

Life

His father, Johann Wyss (1844–1887), secondary school teacher in Brienz , had specialized in creating herbaria with alpine flowers as souvenirs at the height of tourism . Little Paul helped collect the flowers and developed his joy and ability to observe the plants.

In 1885, father Johann was appointed to the editorial board of the Emmenthaler-Blatt in Langnau in the Emmental . There he had to support his cousin Gottlieb Bracher with the handwritten composition of the address lists. He lent a hand wherever there was a need on the editorial staff. His son Paul, now a secondary school student, did his best to help him. In the rectory , Paul met the art and culture-loving pastor Ernst Müller and his family, which made him want to become a painter. But his father warned him about this "starvation job".

Paul Wyss trained as a primary school teacher at the Hofwil seminar and then took over the Ilfis middle school in Langnau. He taught drawing and design to the Langnau craft students. To this end, he continued his education and completed the secondary teacher degree after three semesters. He then attended the arts and crafts school in Strasbourg , where he was supported by Professor Anton Seder (1850–1916), a pioneer of Art Nouveau . Soon he offered him an assistant position. But Paul Wyss could not accept the condition to become German and preferred to return to Bern, where he then worked as a drawing teacher. After his return he married the eldest daughter Hanna Müller from the Langnau pastor's household. She gave him two sons. After her untimely death in 1906, he married Rosa Jenzer (* December 6, 1885, † January 11, 1974), who gave him a third son.

On his return in 1900, the Cantonal Trade Museum in Bern (founded in 1869) engaged Paul Wyss as an artistic advisor for craftsmen and small masters. In further training courses he promoted the potters from Heimberg , Steffisburg and Langnau, the wood carvers in Brienz, the lace makers in Lauterbrunnen Valley, fitters, carpenters, glass painters and graphic artists. He brought the Oberhasler hand-weaving mill to new life and researched the diverse development of the Bernese costume, which he helped to gain new honors and documented with a collection of illustrations . When the Bernese Trachtenvereinigung was founded under the protectorate of the Bernese Homeland Security in 1929, we find Paul Wyss on the costume committee alongside Ms. Bühler-Hostettler. He created an artist postcard for the Swiss National Exhibition of 1914. He created numerous motif templates for painting the dishes, especially for the Röthlisberger and Gerber pottery in Langnau.

As a soldier, Paul Wyss remained closely associated with his Emmentaler Battalion 40 throughout his life. The mobilization in World War I led him with the fortress infantry battalion 171 to the Gotthard. He has recorded his impressions and experiences from this time in various drawings, which are also available in print (see works). Outside of work, he was also active on the board of directors among the military riflemen in Bern (see works). For many years he also volunteered as a parish council of the Heiliggeist parish and in the context of parish nursing.

In 1918 Paul Wyss was elected as a drawing teacher at the municipal high school in Bern, where he taught until his retirement. In addition to his teaching activities in the Bernese Oberland and Emmental, he also produced an extensive artistic work of drawings, watercolors and oil paintings, some of which were published in the Alpenhorn calendar and in supplements to the Emmenthaler-Blatt. The humorous bear caricatures were one of his favorite motifs.

On his 60th birthday in 1935, Paul Wyss was honored with a commemorative exhibition in the Gewerbemuseum in Bern (various newspaper reports).

After he had already started to decorate small oval pendants made of porcelain and earthenware with on-glaze painting in connection with the Bernese costumes, in the last years of his life he created three large dining services with on-glaze paintings: Service with motifs from the Gadmental, where he has been on since 1914 the Upper Schaftelen owned parts of a farmhouse as a summer resort; Service with bear motifs (today in the Saanemöser Golf Hotel) and one with vegetables and flowers for a sister-in-law. All of these services are painted on Langenthal porcelain from the production years 1942–1951 and show the special ability that the painter Paul Wyss also possessed in porcelain painting.

Paul Wyss died on April 29, 1952 in Bern.

Works, illustrated books and publications

As an artist, Paul Wyss designed posters, club flags, certificates and all kinds of illustrations for books and his own publications. Particular examples are the illustrations for the works of his sister-in-law, the important local writer Elisabeth Müller (1885–1977).

  • Confirmation certificates in 3 pictures painted by Paul Wyss. Made in color by lithography Steiger & Benteli in Bern. With 100 memorial messages selected by E [rnst] Müller, pastor in Langnau. Bern 1903
  • Paul, Wyss, From the war mobilization of the festival. Inf. Bat 171, 1914-1915. Bern 1915
  • Elisabeth Müller, Vreneli. A story for children and everyone who can be happy with them, with pictures by Paul Wyss. Bern 1916
  • Elisabeth Müller, Vreneli. Une histoire pour les enfants et pour ceux qui les aiment, avec six illustrations dans le texte de Paul Wyss et une couverture illustrée de Charles Perrot; éd. française par Marti-Maerky. Geneva 1916
  • Elisabeth Müller, Theresli. A story for children and everyone who can be happy with them, with pictures by Paul Wyss. Bern 1919
  • Elisabeth Müller, Christeli. A story for children and everyone who can be happy with them, with pictures by Paul Wyss. Bern 1920
  • Elisabeth Müller, Resli. Une histoire pour les enfants et pour ceux qui les aiment, avec 5 illustrations de Paul Wyss. Genève 1920
  • Jakob Bürki, Vettergöttis Wiener Reis 1920, book decoration by Paul Wyss. Langnau 1922
  • Michel's bridal show. Bern German comedy in 5 acts. Based on the Gotthelfs story, with cover picture by Paul Wyss. Aarau 1926
  • Oholgegnerverlag (ed.), Then, illustrations by Paul Wyss. Lausanne 1931
  • Bernese costumes 1935. Approved by the cantonal Bernese costume association based on original watercolors by the painter Paul Wyss. Langnau 1936
  • Walter Schmid, Bern. Land and people between Finsteraarhorn and Doubs, cover by Paul Wyss. Bern 1936
  • Chläus, the foundling. A story from Swiss folk life, cover drawing by Paul Wyss. Langnau 1938
  • Jakob Bürki, A der Heiteri. No nes paar Gschichtli vom Vettergötti, cover drawing by Paul Wyss. Langnau 1937
  • Roland Bürki, thought from Vettergötti Jakob Bürki, cover drawing by Paul Wyss. Langnau 1941
  • Gottfried Roth, Es Hämpfeli Vergissmeinnicht us mim Chindergärtli. To me Strüssli tamed by Gottfried Roth for sini Ching and what witer nachechunnt and open no for those who have a settigem Freud. [Memoirs,] 1874–1884. D'Zeichnige si by the Chunschtmaler Paul Wyss z'Bärn. Bern 1942
  • Paul Wyss, 75 years of the Bern Military Rifle Society, 1868–1943, with drawings. Bern 1943
  • Fritz Wanzenried, Paul Wyss, traditional costumes of the canton of Bern. Cantonal-Bernese costume association. Langnau 1944.
  • Gottfried Salzmann, Der Ramisbodepuur u syni Chnachte, with cover picture by Paul Wyss. Kehrsatz 1944
  • Gottfried Roth, Es Hämpfeli forget-me-not. To mene Strüssli tame. The drawings [in the text and on the envelope] are from the Chunschtmaler Paul Wyss z'Bärn. Bern 1945

Particularly noteworthy is the work:

  • Paul Wyss, work at home. Folklore pictures with explanatory texts. Erlenbach-Zurich 1934

  • Poster design for the Langnauer Markt, color print

  • Farm in the Emmental, pen drawing

  • Farm in the Emmental, illustration for a children's book

  • Traditional costumes from the Bern area in 1935

  • Röndlen (cleaning grain), illustration from "Work in the home"

  • Washing day, illustration from "Work in the home"

  • Design for a Nidlenapf for the Röthlisberger Hafnerei in Langnau

  • Design for a plate decor for the Röthlisberger Hafnerei in Langnau

  • Bear cartoon

  • Bear cartoon, wall painting from 1922 (detail) from the former sports hotel, now the Saanemöser Golf Hotel.

  • Design for a pane of glass

  • Bernese Alps, watercolor

  • Landscape in the Emmental, watercolor

  • Bernese Alps, watercolor

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Information for this article from: Emil O. Bohnenblust: The Bernese Paul Wyss - his life and work. Memories of a kind person and a great painter. In: Bärner Brattig. No. 4, 2000, pp. 7 and 9 also obituary in the Emmenthaler-Blatt. May 5, 1952 and information from his descendants
  2. ^ Anne-Marie Dubler : Langnau in the Emmental. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . also: Association of the Swiss Press, The Swiss Press: La Presse Suisse. Bern 1896, 251
  3. ^ Christian Schmid: Müller, Ernst. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  4. ^ Jean-Claude Richez: Municipal School of Applied Arts, Strasbourg (1889-1914). Pioneer of Art Nouveau or the test bench of modernity in Alsace. In: Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe (ed.): Art Nouveau on the Upper Rhine. Art and life without limits. Karlsruhe 2009, ISBN 978-3-7650-8510-9 , pp. 154-163.
  5. ^ Alfred Tschabold: 100 Years of the Industrial Museum in Bern. Bern 1969.
  6. ^ Peter Flück: Kantonale Schnitzlerschule Brienz 1884-1984. Bern 1984.
  7. ^ Rudolf Gallati: lace making in Lauterbrunnen valley. Catalog for the special exhibition, Tourist Museum of the Jungfrau Region. Unterseen / Interlaken, 1986.
  8. ↑ Heimatwerk Oberhasli. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on November 26, 2014 ; accessed on November 15, 2014 .
  9. ↑ Bernese Trachten 1935, approved by the cantonal Bernese costume association, 24 art print sheets based on original watercolors by the painter Paul Wyss, State Archives of the Canton of Bern, signature T.1067; The Bern costume in 1935, 24 postcards with accompanying text, description of the individual costumes, based on original sources by Paul Wyss, Canton Bern State Archives, signature T.220
  10. ↑ Bern-1914.org. Retrieved May 7, 2020 .
  11. ↑ Bern State Archives, signature T.1126, 127 pencil drawings of places in the canton of Bern
  12. ↑ Bern State Archives, signature T. 1127, original drafts for prints by Emmentaler Druck AG, Langnau
  13. ^ Franziska Meister: Müller, Elisabeth. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
Commons : Paul Wyss  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Wyss, Paul
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss artist
DATE OF BIRTH December 12, 1875
PLACE OF BIRTH Brienz
DATE OF DEATH April 29, 1952
Place of death Bern