Richard Wenzel (painter)

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Richard Wenzel (born September 21, 1889 in Darmstadt , † April 26, 1934 in Saarbrücken ) was a German painter .

life and work

Little is known about Richard Wenzel's childhood and early school days. In 1905 the family moved from Dresden via Leubnitz-Neuostra to Saarbrücken , probably due to a new job by their father, and lived there at Sophienstrasse 1.

From 1909 to 1910 Wenzel studied at the Royal Saxon Art Academy with Professors Richard Müller and Osmar Schindler . On June 20, 1910, he had to leave the academy because he did not pay tuition fees and was rarely present. Wenzel stayed in Dresden until February 1911. In addition to studying at the art academy, Wenzel studied at Guido Richter's art school in Dresden.

Just one month after his return from Dresden to Saarbrücken, in March 1911, Wenzel was able to exhibit paintings and watercolors in the Schmidt art dealer (Kaiserstrasse, Saarbrücken) . In the Saarbrücker Zeitung of March 30, 1911, it says: "There is no doubt that we are looking at the work of a talent of our own with personal will and high ability [...]". This first solo exhibition was followed by numerous other exhibitions, particularly in Saarbrücken. There Wenzel opened a painting school (Francoisstrasse 11, III; later Rotenbergstrasse 10).

Richard Wenzel traveled to Berlin to study and met Max Liebermann there . When exactly this trip took place is uncertain. The years 1913 or 1915 are possible. “In 1927 Richard Wenzel drew a portrait of Max Liebermann for his 80th birthday […]. This testifies to a long-term internal bond between these two artists ”. In the 1920s, Wenceslas art received increasing attention, which was particularly evident through increased public purchases.

In 1922 Richard Wenzel was a co-founder of the Association of Visual Artists on the Saar and was also elected its first president. Members besides Wenzel were u. a. Albert Bohn , Heinrich von Rüden and Otto Weil .

Richard Wenzel had his studio in the garden of his parents' house at Virchowstrasse 16 in Saarbrücken. In 1929 he recorded his studio in the watercolor "Mein Atelier".

Richard Wenzel was a frequent guest in taverns in Saarbrücken. His alcohol consumption rose sharply and also affected his appearance. This brought Wenzel the reputation of a Saarbrücken “original” (long black hair, old horn-rimmed glasses, bad teeth, dirty clothes).

On February 1, 1933, Wenzel appointed the painter Ly Klein as the heir of his fortune. On April 26, 1934 Richard Wenzel died at home of tuberculosis and the effects of alcohol consumption. Richard Wenzel's grave is in the Leipzig South Cemetery in Section VIII, 11, Row N (position 24).

In 1937 a work by Richard Wenzel was confiscated during the Degenerate Art campaign .

Motif choice

Richard Wenzel's pictorial motifs were strongly influenced by his home in the Saarland. He created numerous portraits of acquaintances and friends and many commissioned works, as well as landscape and city views, still lifes , pictures of animals, motifs from the world of work and depictions influenced by Christianity. Numerous self-portraits take up another important area . He also implemented social issues artistically.

student

The students at Richard Wenzel's painting school in Saarbrücken include Fritz Grewenig , Loy Walter , Max Heintz , Alfred Oestereich and Fritz Zolnhofer .

Purchases

Saarbrücken City Council bought the painting Industry in 1922 for 300,000 marks . The culture department of the government commission acquired five works by Wenceslas in 1925 and further works in 1929. Wenzel's works are in the possession of the Saarland State Chancellery, in the Modern Gallery of the Saarland Museum and in private ownership.

literature

  • Wilhelm Weber : Richard Wenzel born 70 years ago - died 25 years ago , in: Saarheimat 1959, Issue 6, pp. 10-14.
  • Ilse Winter-Emde: The painter and draftsman Richard Wenzel (1889-1934). Life and work. Dissertation, Saarbrücken 1986.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Winter-Emde 1986, p. 8.
  2. ↑ Quoted from Winter-Emde 1986, p. 15.
  3. ↑ Winter-Emde 1986, p. 9.
  4. ↑ Winter-Emde 1986, Fig. 144.
  5. ↑ Winter-Emde 1986, pp. 13-14, 26-27.
  6. ↑ Winter-Emde 1986, p. 29.
  7. ↑ Winter-Emde 1986, p. 29.
  8. ↑ Christiane Ladleif, Gerhard Schneider (Ed.): Modern pilloried [exhibition catalog]; Kettler; Bönen 2012, p. 267.
  9. ↑ Winter-Emde 1986, p. 19.
  10. ↑ Winter-Emde 1986, pp. 24-25.
personal data
SURNAME Wenceslaus, Richard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German painter
DATE OF BIRTH September 21, 1889
PLACE OF BIRTH Darmstadt
DATE OF DEATH April 26, 1934
Place of death Saarbrücken