Werner Schmutz

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Werner Schmutz (born July 19, 1910 in Lindenthal near Boll ; † July 17, 2003 in Bern ) von Vechigen was a Swiss graphic artist , draftsman and painter .

Life

Werner Schmutz was born into a family of farmers and craftsmen in Lindenthal near Boll, the oldest of seven siblings. The family moved to Bern in 1922. After primary school, he completed an apprenticeship as a script and decorative painter from 1925 to 1929 and then trained as a graphic artist until 1932. During the Second World War he was assigned to a bicycle company and traveled with it across Switzerland. From 1935 to 1947 he attended courses with Leo Steck at the Bern Trade School and from 1945 to 1963 in Max von Mühlenen's painting school in Bern. He learned the craft of copperplate engraving from 1953 to 1954 from the couple Vreni Stein-Bähler (1921–2013) and Peter Stein (1922–2015).

In 1942 Werner Schmutz married Dora Umhofer. She was a lifelong employee, model, travel companion and muse for him. He set up a studio in the Haus im Spiegel they bought in 1950, and the garden, which was cultivated according to biodynamic principles, also inspired painting to create many pictures.

A study visit to Paris established his reference to France's provincial landscapes, which, like the city of Bern with the surrounding villages, became his motifs. In 1958 Werner Schmutz became a member of the Society of Swiss Painters and Sculptors GSMB (today visarte). In 1962 he was elected Secretary of the Berne Section and was its President from 1967 to 1972. In addition, Werner Schmutz was a member of the municipal art commission, the exhibition commission of the Kunsthalle Bern and the art commission Köniz.

In the last years of his life he continued to paint despite health problems and was still creating works in 2003. In addition, he organized his works and diaries and created a catalog raisonné. He died at home on July 17, 2003, the day after his 93rd birthday. Dora Schmutz-Umhofer died on January 4th, 2016.

plant

In the post-war period, at the suggestion of Christian Rubi and others, peasant painting and rural folk art, an art movement that was widespread in the Bern region, began . As a trained letterpress and decorative painter, this should become the most important field of work for Werner Schmutz. He became a sought-after expert in peasant painting. He knew the techniques, paste glazes and styles. He was called in to work on listed objects and was highly valued in specialist circles. During the era of peasant painting, he was overloaded with many commissions. In his studio he restored or painted old or new objects such as cupboards, buffets, chests, watch cases, baptism slips, family crests and much more. Three important commissions that he carried out as a farmer and letter painter:

  • approx. 1942: wall painting (in the porch) of the ref. Church trub
  • 1948: Wall painting in the Gsteig church
  • 1949: Renovation of the facade of Christian Rubi's house, Nidfluh Därstetten

In the local museum of Vechigen there is a kitchen buffet painted by him.

Until about 1972, peasant painting was the main livelihood alongside free art. With the success in free painting, peasant painting became more and more of secondary importance to him, also because of the disappearance of the fashion trend. Subsequently he devoted himself mainly to "ornamental compositions" inspired by folk art. The resulting works were partly sold or given away during their lifetime.

The Werner and Dora Schmutz Foundation was established on April 7, 2004 to look after the estate. Since 2005 the artistic estate of approx. 1200 works, with 800 paintings, 250 drawings and 50 graphics, has been in an archive of the Oberstufenzentrum Köniz.

Honors

  • 1981: Appointed honorary member of the GSMB
  • 1982: Medal of Honor from the Civic Community of Bern.
  • 1995: Award of the GSMB for its many years of work

Exhibitions

  • 1961: Swiss art exhibition. Lucerne Art Museum
  • 1950/1968: Christmas exhibition of Bernese painters and sculptors. Kunsthalle Bern. Helmhaus Zurich.
  • 1973: "City in Switzerland." 1st Biennale of Swiss Art. Organized by the GSMBA, Kunsthaus Zürich
  • 1977: "Homage to Max von Mühlenen." Art collection of the city of Thun, Thunerhof
  • 1978: 3rd Biennale of Swiss Art. Current issues of the past, Kunstmuseum Winterthur
  • 1981: Une oeuvre - un artiste. Un artiste - une oeuvre. Exposition Suisse '81. Delémont, Halles des expositions
  • 1983/1986: Christmas exhibition, Kunsthalle Bern
  • 1986: Section exhibition GSMBA Bern, Kunstmuseum Bern
  • 1990/1996: Christmas exhibition, Kunsthalle Bern

literature

  • Max Leist, Illustrations Werner Schmutz: Children's songs for school and home . Troxler Verlag, Bern 1946, p. 28 .
  • Max Huggler, illustrations Werner Schmutz: Werner Schmutz, painter of worth living . Wyss, Bern 1983, ISBN 3-7285-0049-6 , p. 112 .
  • Werner Schmutz: From Bernese peasant painting . Hochwächter, Bern 1952, p. 93-101 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Website of the Werner and Dora Schmutz Foundation. Retrieved January 11, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Closet in Vechigen
  3. ↑ Martha Häberli: Speech at the exhibition in the Galerie ArchivArte "Werner Schmutz - My Bernbiet". 2017, accessed January 11, 2020 .
  4. ^ Website of the Werner and Dora Schmutz Foundation. Retrieved January 11, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Dirt, Werner
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss graphic artist, draftsman and painter
DATE OF BIRTH July 19, 1910
PLACE OF BIRTH Lindenthal
DATE OF DEATH July 17, 2003
Place of death Bern