Theodor Steinkühler

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Theodor Steinkühler as a pilot, 1918

Gottlieb Heinrich Theodor Steinkühler (born October 8, 1894 in Bielefeld - Großdornberg ; † February 19, 1921 there ) was a German painter.

Life

After an apprenticeship as a painter in Werther , Theodor Steinkühler studied from October 1, 1912 at the Bielefeld School of Crafts and Applied Arts , where he attended the painting and lithography class of Ludwig Godewols (1870–1926). The acquaintance with other Westphalian artists such as Peter August Böckstiegel (1889–1951), Victor Tuxhorn (1892–1964) and Erich Lossie (1886–1944) dates from this time . A first success was the 1st place in a poster competition of the Königliche Kreissparkasse Bielefeld.

Drafted for military service in January 1915, Steinkühler took part in the First World War as a non-commissioned officer in the theaters of war in northern France and Poland. From autumn 1917 he trained as a pilot in Poznan and Warsaw. Seriously injured in a plane crash, Steinkühler returned briefly to Bielefeld at the end of the war. The fact that he also made drawings and watercolors during the war is shown not only by photos but also by some preserved works from this period.

After successfully applying to the Grand Ducal Saxon Art School in Weimar in January 1919, Steinkühler began studying with the painter and graphic artist Walther Klemm (1883–1957) and the sculptor Richard Engelmann (1868–1966) in April of that year . After the art school had merged into the newly founded State Bauhaus Weimar, he was enrolled there on June 27, 1919.

During his time in Weimar he continued to be artistically active in his Westphalian homeland. He participated in exhibitions of the u. a. "Rote Erde", an artist group founded by Böckstiegel, Tuxhorn and Lossie, as well as to the Bauhaus sympathetic artist group "Der Loss".

Theodor Steinkühler: The bathers, Bielefeld 1919

After studying in Weimar for only one year, Steinkühler had to take a leave of absence from the Bauhaus in April 1920, initially due to an illness in his mother, but later also because of his own serious illness caused by the plane crash, and had to return to his parents' house in Bielefeld. The confirmation from Weimar signed u. a. the Bauhaus teachers Johannes Itten , Georg Muche , Lyonel Feininger as well as Walther Klemm and Richard Engelmann . Although Steinkühler continued to work as an artist as far as he could, he died just under a year later at the age of 26. A few days later, the parents received a condolence telegram from Weimar, signed by Walter Gropius , the founding director of the Bauhaus.

plant

Around 170 works by Theodor Steinkühler have survived, mainly portrait studies and chalk drawings of local motifs from his homeland in Bielefeld-Dornberg (e.g. St. Peter's Church, Schwedenschanze, coal mine) and from Posen, as well as watercolors and oil paintings. At the Bauhaus, particularly striking prints influenced by Expressionism (woodcuts, etchings) were created. In addition to nature - especially in the Ilm Valley - Steinkühler also turned to religious motifs during his time in Weimar.

In his obituary, Heinrich Becker, the director of the Bielefeld City Museum at the time, stated that Steinkühler “found more expression for the agitation of his soul in his graphic work, especially the woodcuts, than in his paintings”.

Theodor Steinkühler: Potato pickers, Weimar 1919

Exhibitions

  • Art exhibition of the artist group Rote Erde Bielefeld, Bielefeld 1919
  • Theodor Steinkühler Memorial Exhibition, City Museum Bielefeld 1922
  • "40 Years of Bielefeld Art", Oetkerhalle Bielefeld 1946
  • “Art in Bielefeld. Painting and Graphics 1900–1933 ”, Kunsthalle Bielefeld 1983
  • "Theodor Steinkühler - From Bielefeld to the Bauhaus", Peter-August-Böckstiegel-Haus, Werther 2015
  • "Theodor Steinkühler and the early Bauhaus", Heinrich-Neuy-Bauhaus-Museum , Steinfurt-Borghorst 2017

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.theodor-steinkuehler.de
  2. ^ Heinrich Becker: Obituary for Theodor Steinkühler. In: Ravensberger sheets for history, folklore and local history. Vol. 22, Bielefeld 1922, issue 1–3, p. 8f.
personal data
SURNAME Steinkühler, Theodor
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Steinkühler, Gottlieb Heinrich Theodor (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German painter
DATE OF BIRTH October 8, 1894
PLACE OF BIRTH Bielefeld - Großdornberg
DATE OF DEATH February 19, 1921
Place of death Bielefeld - Großdornberg