Wilhelm Henschel

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wilhelm Henschel (born March 15, 1781 or 1785 in Trachenberg , † June 27, 1865 in Breslau ) was a German draftsman, engraver and lithographer.

Life

Henschel came from a Jewish family. Together with his brothers Friedrich (1781–1837), August (1782–1828) and Moritz (1785–1862), Wilhelm grew up in Breslau and attended the Jewish educational establishment founded in 1790 with his siblings, in which his uncle Elias Henschel was a member of the school board . In 1804 the brothers went to Berlin. This year, for the first time, participation in the Berlin Academy exhibition with graphic works by the Henschel brothers is documented. In the catalog of the 1804 Academy Exhibition, the following work is listed under number 84: Vom Herr Henschel. Portrait painter from Wroclaw. Socrates in prison among his disciples. A hand drawing .

In 1811 the collection of Iffland's facial expressions for actors and draftsmen began to appear. The Henschel brothers sat in the Berlin Royal National Theater between 1808 and 1811 and made drawings of the actors, especially August Wilhelm Iffland , while the theater was in play . This was possible because the auditorium was lit up until the middle of the 19th century. This work was about describing the character system of Ifland's art of acting. A total of twenty roll series with six sheets each and a total of 120 copperplate engravings were published, portraying Iffland in 19 rolls. One issue is dedicated to the actress Friederike Bethmann-Unzelmann . These booklets were intended as the start of a major episode that never came to an end. The first issue showed Iffland in the role of Harpagnon in Molière's The Miser . Usually the works were signed with Gebr. Henschel . Their first names are only listed in a few cases.

A few years later, Goethe wrote of Iffland's mimic representations : “It certainly took a great deal of talent and artistry to represent such different assumed characters and passions, and nevertheless to retain the peculiar features of the man among all the alternations; the artist's attention extended even further and to the costumes, so that whoever saw Iffland play often will remember from the pictures of his suit. - The manner in which these mimic representations are engraved in copper imitates light drafts in black chalk, only outlines with some hint of shadow. "

In addition to these theater pictures, the Henschel brothers drew a number of Berlin personalities such as Johann Gottlieb Fichte , Wilhelm von Humboldt , August von Kotzebue, Julius von Voss , and Friedrich Wilhelm III. and Luise of Prussia .

In 1812 Wilhelm Henschel and his brother August received the title of Academic Artist from the Royal Academy of the Arts .

On the occasion of Johann Wolfgang Goethe's 70th birthday , the first issue of the series “Scenes from Goethe's Life” was published in 1819. As a cover picture, the brothers made a lithographic portrait of the poet based on a relief from Schadow.

Wilhelm Henschel left Berlin in 1832. Like his brothers, he moved back to Breslau. In the period that followed, the brothers mainly worked as portrait painters for the Jewish bourgeoisie in Breslau.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Börsch-Supan; The catalogs of the Berlin Academy exhibitions, Berlin 1971, (1804: 8).
  2. ↑ Klaus Gerlach: Chroniclers of the fugitive. The Henschel brothers take portraits in Berlin. City culture around 1800 . In: Die Akademie am Gendarmenmarkt 2013/14, pp. 53–57
  3. ^ Johann Wolfgang Goethe: Ueber Kunst und Alterthum, Vol. 2, Heft 2, 1818, P. 74 f. Digitized version of the Bavarian State Library.
  4. ↑ Salli Kirschstein: Jewish graphic artist from the period 1625 - 1825, Berlin 1918th
personal data
SURNAME Henschel, Wilhelm
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German draftsman, engraver and lithographer
DATE OF BIRTH March 15, 1781 or 1785
PLACE OF BIRTH Trachenberg
DATE OF DEATH June 27, 1865
Place of death Wroclaw