Wilhelm Rösch (sculptor)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Portrait of Wilhelm Rösch, detail from a group photo of the Stuttgart artists' association "Round Table"
Portrait medallion from Wilhelm Rösch's former tomb

Johann Wilhelm Rösch (born November 8, 1850 in Neckarrems , † August 8, 1893 in Stuttgart ) was a late Classicist Württemberg sculptor of regional importance. He created a large number of reliefs, statues and busts, most of which are placed in the Stuttgart area.

life and work

childhood

Wilhelm Rösch was born as the third of ten children of Neckarrems stone mason Jakob Friedrich Rösch (1823-1891) and the winegrower's daughter Johanna Lang from Mundelsheim . Wilhelm's youngest brother Hermann, who died at the age of 32, was also a sculptor; his older, first-born brother Jakob Friedrich became a master stone mason like his father.

education

In 1862 the family moved to Stuttgart. After attending elementary school, Rösch learned the profession of stone carver, first with his father, then with the renowned Stuttgart sculptor Albert Güldenstein , who created animal sculptures for Wilhelma and candelabra for Rosenstein Castle , among other things . After his apprenticeship, he worked under his father as a stone carver, and he was soon entrusted with ornamental decoration. At the same time he attended the Stuttgart Polytechnic , where he practiced ornament drawing and modeling with the modeler Christian Plock .

Education

In recognition of the clay figure he created, Christ as a Good Shepherd , Rösch received support from the Royal Central Office for Trade and Commerce , headed by Ferdinand von Steinbeis , to attend the Stuttgart Art School , where he worked from 1870 to 1874 under the sculptor Theodor Wagner , a student of Johann Heinrich Danneckers , studied. The art school then granted him a scholarship to study at the Dresden Art Academy , where he continued his studies under the sculptor Adolf von Donndorf , a student of Ernst Rietschel . When von Donndorf was appointed to succeed Theodor Wagner as a professor of sculpture at the Stuttgart Art Academy in 1876, he went back to Stuttgart with him to complete his studies there.

Working life

Rösch's former grave in the Prague cemetery in Stuttgart

In the following two years, Rösch made a name for itself with award-winning works such as The Blessing of Children , The Singer's Curse and a Kepler statue, as well as the Mörike bust for the Mörike monument. In 1878 Rösch was awarded the scholarship for a trip to Italy, which was suspended in his will by the history painter Joseph Anton von Gegenbaur . After completing the Kepler statue, he went to Rome for a year and a half to study. There he created a marble high relief for Gegenbaur's tomb in the German cemetery in Rome and executed Robert Schumann's tomb for his teacher von Donndorf .

After his return in 1879, Rösch founded his own studio in Stuttgart. In the remaining 14 years of his short life he created grave monuments ( Theodor Wagner , Ludwig Stark ), monuments ( Wilhelm Hauff , Julius Haidlen , Ottilie Wildermuth ), reliefs ( spandrel relief for the former Royal State Library, allegorical relief Die Nacht ) and statues ( Georg der Bearded , allegorical figures for the Alte Staatsgalerie, statue of the Virgin Mary for the Marienhospital, three statues for the Friedenskirche, allegorical half-figure The Faith ).

The Muckenbüble occupies a special position in Rösch's work . It differs from his other works, which are entirely rooted in tradition, through its floating lightness, its elegant swing and the humorous approach to the situation.

Nothing is known about the adult man's personal circumstances, whether he was married and had children, and whether he was able to lead an adequate life. In any case, he did not achieve a secure post in his short life, for example as a royal sculptor or teacher at the art school. Rösch found his final resting place in the Prague cemetery in Stuttgart . His relatives had a tomb made of natural stone for him, which carried a round bronze medallion with his portrait. Since the grave was dissolved in 1962, the tombstone and medallion have disappeared.

meaning

In his short life, Rösch did not succeed in gaining a reputation beyond the immediate vicinity of Stuttgart, even if his Muckenbüble was awarded a gold medal at the International Art Exhibition in Munich in 1883. Rösch was essentially still clinging to the classical style, as were his teachers Wagner and von Donndorf.

A sculptor of our day, Karl-Henning Seemann, says: “You would not do justice to Wilhelm Rösch if you wanted to measure him against his great contemporary, Auguste Rodin , who was 10 years his senior , whose genius from this generation extends far into our century. Rösch remains completely caught up in the art of the late 19th century, an art that knew fixed standards for "wrong" and "right", at which everything could be taught and learned at the academies that had been part of the repertoire of artistic ability since the Renaissance belonged to. Everything that constitutes the sculpture of the 20th century and the interests of my generation clearly differs from this perfection that has often become sterile. "

Rösch's Muckenbüble and his busts by Hauff and Mörike are among his outstanding and most appealing works, a judgment shared by his contemporaries. Seemann also pays Rösch his unreserved praise for these works: “The very well-made portrait busts of the Swabian poets still serve their purpose in honor, and the so-called» Muckenbüble «in the Stuttgart City Lapidarium always gives me pleasure. It is worth walking around this sculpture and looking at it from all sides, because the boy who turns around to kill an insect is a fully formed FIGURA SERPENTINATA that does not need to deny its role models. There is no other content than the teasing episode on the draft. It is as if the humor and harmlessness of the occasion enabled the greatest sculptural development of the artist. "

Works

The works of Wilhelm Rösch are listed in ascending order according to the year they were created, both the preserved works and those that have only come down to us through photos. The list of lost works contains works whose whereabouts are unknown or works that have been destroyed.

In the headings the year numbers in brackets indicate the year of creation, in the captions the year in which the photo was taken.

The Blessing of Children (1877)

  • Rösch, Wilhelm, The Blessing of Children.jpg

Plaster cast of a relief with a wooden frame, 109 cm wide, 66 cm high. Depiction of the blessing of children ( Matthew 19.14  EU ).

Location: Remseck am Neckar , Michael-Sebastianskirche.

Kepler statue (1879)

  • Kepler statue by Wilhelm Rösch

  • Extension of the Stuttgart Polytechnic

  • Main portal, drawing by Alexander von Tritschler

  • Dürer statue by Theodor Scheerer

Sandstone statue of Johannes Kepler , approx. 2 m high. Two statues were set up in the two niches to the left and right of the main portal of the extension to the Stuttgart Polytechnic : the statue of Johannes Kepler as a representative of science by Wilhelm Rösch and the statue of Albrecht Dürer as a representative of art by Theodor Scheerer . After the building was destroyed in the Second World War (1944), the Kepler statue was brought to Weil der Stadt (the Dürer statue is now on display in the Stuttgart City Lapidarium).

Location: Weil der Stadt , Keplergasse 1 (access from Steinhofgasse).

Tomb of Robert Schumann von Donndorf (1878–1879)

  • Bonn graveyard robert schumann 20080509.jpg

Robert Schumann's tomb , marble, executed by Wilhelm Rösch based on the model of his teacher Adolf von Donndorf, description: see Alter Friedhof Bonn, Das Schumann-Grab .

Location: Bonn, Alter Friedhof .

Mörike monument (1878–1880)

  • Mörike monument

  • Mörike monument, bust

  • Mörike monument, relief

  • Mörike monument with silver castle complex

Monument to Eduard Mörike , Carrara marble. Bust and relief by Wilhelm Rösch based on a design by Mörike, pedestal based on a design by the architect Recke. Larger-than-life portrait bust of Eduard Mörike over a scroll bedded on flowers. Postamen relief with Euterpe , the muse of poetry, scattering flowers with his right hand, holding the kithara with his left hand .

Location: Stuttgart, Silberburganlage , opposite Silberburgstrasse 193, coordinates: 48 ° 46 ′ 8.16 ″  N , 9 ° 10 ′ 11.42 ″  E , plaster model of the bust: Marbach, German Literature Archive .

George the Bearded (1879)

  • Rösch, Wilhelm, Georg the Bearded, Albrechtsburg Meißen.jpg

Statue of Duke George the Bearded of Saxony, limewood, larger than life. The figure made by the woodcarver Franz Schneider after the missing, half-size plaster model of Wilhelm Rösch (between 1874 and 1879). Location: Albrechtsburg Castle in Meißen, Great Court Room; Plaster model: whereabouts unknown

In Annaberg / Erzgebirge, in 1897, based on a design by Wilhelm Rösch, a monument to George the Bearded (city founder of Annaberg) was made by F. Völker from Dresden in sandstone based on a wooden model and placed in the rondelle of the zigzag promenade (financed by the Harmonious Society the fifteen ). In the 1960s, the heavily weathered monument was smashed by vandals and the parts were transported to an unknown location.

Hauff Memorial (1882)

  • Bust of Wilhelm Hauffs

  • Pedestal with the bust of Wilhelm Hauff

  • Hauff memorial

Monument to Wilhelm Hauff , 5 m high, draft of the monument by Christian Friedrich von Leins based on the entries in a competition in which Rösch also took part. Rösch created the plaster model of the larger than life bronze bust cast by Wilhelm Pelargus . Rösch also made the sandstone pedestal , which ends in two curved wings with benches. 1955: The sculptor Hermann Brellochs restores the bust, which was melted down in the Second World War to manufacture weapons .

Location: Stuttgart, Hasenbergstrasse plants, at the height of Hasenbergsteige 94, coordinates: 48 ° 45 '52.41 "  N , 9 ° 8' 48.11"  O . Plaster model of the bronze bust: Marbach, German Literature Archive .

Gusset relief of the Royal State Library (1885–1888)

  • Allegory of Religion, 1885–1888.

Between 1885 and 1888, Wilhelm Rösch made the relief "Religion" from the 12 spandrel reliefs in the Royal State Library in Stuttgart based on the design of his teacher Adolf von Donndorf .

Location: In the Second World War, the Royal State Library was destroyed except for the surrounding walls. After the demolition, the building was replaced by a modern construction. Nothing is known about the whereabouts of the undestroyed spandrel reliefs.

Boy in Danger ("Muckenbüble") (1883)

  • Plaster model (2010)

  • Plaster model, detail (2010)

  • Plaster model, detail (2010)

  • Bronze cast 1, formerly in Park Villa Berg (around 1890)

  • Bronze cast 1, today in the Stuttgart City Lapidarium (2008)

  • Bronze cast 2 (2010)

  • Bronze cast 2 (2010), detail

  • Bronze cast 2 (2010), detail

Statue "Boy in Danger", popularly "Muckenbüble", life-size. A naked boy, who stands on one leg like a flamingo and pulls the other up bent, turns back in a screwed position, stretching his left arm with the towel behind him to keep his balance, and with his right arm wide to reach one To kill an insect that hurt his thigh.

Location:

  • Plaster model (1883), inscribed: “W. Rösch F [ecit] 1883 “: Remseck am Neckar , City Hall, Fellbacher Straße 2, 2nd floor.
  • Marble statue (1886): formerly Stuttgart, State Gallery, destroyed in World War II.
  • Casts:
  1. Bronze cast 1 (1886), Stuttgart, Städtisches Lapidarium, Mörikestrasse 24.
  2. Bronze casting 2 (1993), Remseck, right of the entrance of the town hall, coordinates: 48 ° 52 '23.12 "  N , 9 ° 16' 25.97"  O
  3. Bronze cast 3, Heringsdorf, in front of the Aurelia Hotel St. Hubertus, Grenzstraße 1.
  4. Bronze cast 4, Stuttgart, Dresdner Bank, Königin-Olga-Bau , Königstrasse 9.

Haidlen monument (1885)

  • Half-length relief by Julius Haidlen

  • Haidlen memorial

Monument to Julius Haidlen (1818–1883), the founder and long-time chairman of the Stuttgart Beautification Association . Draft of the memorial stone by Christian Friedrich von Leins . Round medallion with Haidlen's bronze bust relief by Rösch, cast by Hugo Pelargus .

Location: Stuttgart, silk plant, opposite Silcherstraße 5-7, coordinates: 48 ° 46 '42.11 "  N , 9 ° 9' 59.86"  O .

Wildermuth Monument (1887)

  • TÜ-Wildemuth-Monument.jpg

Monument to Ottilie Wildermuth , sandstone, round medallion with a bronze portrait relief of Wildermuth von Rösch

Location: Tübingen, Platanenallee, at the foot of the avenue bridge coordinates: 48 ° 31 '2.37 "  N , 9 ° 2' 55.88"  O .

Allegories of Fine Arts (1889)

  • Allegory of Painting (1991)

  • Allegory of Architecture (1991)

  • Allegory of Plastic (1991)

  • Allegory of the art of copper engraving (partly destroyed by the war) (1991)

  • Allegory of Painting (2010)

  • Allegory of Architecture (2010)

  • Allegory of Plastic (2010)

  • Allegory of the art of copper engraving (partly destroyed by the war) (2010)

Statues with the allegorical representation of painting, architecture, sculpture and engraving, sandstone. Two statues each adorn the facades of the two rear wings of the Old State Gallery. Since an extension for the graphic collection was built behind the Alte Staatsgalerie along Urbanstraße in 2002, the view of the statues is only possible to a limited extent (from Urbanstraße or on the two glazed passages between the Alte Staatsgalerie and the graphic collection) .

Location: Stuttgart, back of the old state gallery , urban street, coordinates: 48 ° 46 '49.49 "  N , 9 ° 11' 16.89"  O .

Faith (1890)

  • Rösch, Wilhelm, Faith, 2.jpg

Half length of a praying young woman on a profiled plinth . Inscription: “I don't find anything more beautiful, how long I choose / than in the beautiful form - the beautiful soul.” (Schiller 1804).

Location: whereabouts unknown.

The Night (1890)

  • Rösch, Wilhelm, Die Nacht.jpg

Relief, gypsum, medallion with length portrait of a sleeping young woman of a dormant, winged Cupid sits on the back.

Location: Stuttgart, City Archives.

Mary with the Divine Child (1890)

  • Virgin Mary statue (around 1890)

  • View of the front of the Marienhospital with the statue of the Virgin Mary (2010)

  • General view of the Marienhospital (2004)

Virgin Mary statue, Kelheim limestone marble, larger than life size. Statue with Mary as Queen of Heaven and the naked baby Jesus, who raises his hand in greeting. The statue is located above the entrance portal of the old Marienhospital building.

Location: Stuttgart, St. Mary's Hospital , age Marienbau, Böheimstrasse 37, coordinates: 48 ° 45 '41.31 "  N , 9 ° 9' 46.3"  O .

Christ, Peter and Paul (1892)

  • Peter with the Key (2010)

  • The greeting, inviting Christ (2010)

  • Paul with the Book (2010)

  • Tower of the Friedenskirche (2010)

  • Peter with the Key (1991)

  • The Greeting, Inviting Christ (1991)

  • Paul with the Book (1991)

  • Friedenskirche (1892)

Three statues, limestone. The statues adorn the tower facade of the Friedenskirche: "The greeting, inviting Christ" (2.70 m high) in a niche halfway up the tower, and on both sides of the main portal on high round columns that lean against the corner pillars of the tower, the figures "Peter with the key" (left) and "Paul with the book".

Location: Stuttgart, Friedenskirche , Schubartstr. 12, coordinates: 48 ° 47 '10.19 "  N , 9 ° 11' 33.5"  O .

Lost works

In Merz 1890, page 87, it is reported that von Rösch in 1890 “had a naturally fresh picture of spring and a delicious child angel's head on display [in the Stuttgart Art Association]”, but nothing else is known about them.

literature

Life and works

  • Rudolf Schäfer: Wilhelm Rösch †. In:  Oesterreichische Kunst-Chronik / Allgemeine Kunst-Chronik. Journal for Art, Applied Arts and Literature / General Art Chronicle. Illustrated magazine for art, applied arts, music and literature / general art chronicle. Illustrated magazine for art, applied arts, music, theater and literature , August 15, 1893, p. 440 (online at ANNO ).Template: ANNO / Maintenance / okc
  • Johannes Merz: Wilhelm Rösch . In: Christian Art Journal for Church, School and House 37.1895, pp. 1–7.
  • Heinz Pfizenmayer: From simple stone carving apprentice to respected sculptor. Wilhelm Rösch from Neckarrems (1850-1893) . In: Paul Sauer, Eduard Theiner, Heinz Pfizenmayer, Karl-Henning Seemann: Remsecker Lebensbilder . Benedikt Elsas from Aidlingen - Alexandrine from Beroldingen from Hochberg - Friedrich Jakob Philipp Heim from Hochdorf - Balthasar Sprenger from Neckargröningen - Wilhelm Rösch from Neckarrems (local history series of the municipality of Remseck am Neckar. Landscape - Nature - History, Vol. 11). Remseck 1991, pp. 64–83 (there with a false reference that the Kepler statue did not survive World War II)
  • Karl-Henning Seemann: Wilhelm Rösch - an appreciation . In: Paul Sauer, Eduard Theiner, Heinz Pfizenmayer, Karl-Henning Seemann: Remsecker Lebensbilder . Remseck 1991, pp. 79, 83.

Individual works

Alphabetically according to the title of the work and the year of publication.

  • Allegories of the fine arts
The sculptors Rheineck and Rösch . In: Schwäbische Kronik No. 52 from March 1, 1889, page 361.
  • Christ, Peter and Paul
Heinrich Merz: The Peace Church in Stuttgart . In: Christian Art Journal for Church, School and House 34.1892, pages 177–185.
  • The belief
Heinrich Merz: From the Stuttgart Art Association . In: Christliches Kunstblatt für Kirche, Schule und Haus 32.1890, pages 81–87, 89, especially pages 87, 89.
  • The singers curse
Art Chronicle 13.1878, column 773-774.
  • Gegenbaur tomb
Art Chronicle 13.1878, column 373–374.
  • Haidlen memorial
Hermann Götz: The beautification association of the city of Stuttgart 1861-1936 , Stuttgart 1937, page 20-21.
  • Hauff memorial
    • Art Chronicle 17.1882, column 483, 658.
    • Hermann Götz: The beautification association of the city of Stuttgart 1861-1936 , Stuttgart 1937, page 20-21.
    • Pfizenmayer, Heinz: Wilhelm Rösch the creator of the bust . In: Stuttgart Official Gazette No. 14 of April 7, 1955, page 13.
  • Kepler statue.
    • Kunstchronik 13.1878, columns 373–374, 773–774.
    • The anniversary of the Stuttgart Technical University II. The wing construction at the k. technical university carried out by Oberbaurath Prof. A. Tritschler . In: Schwäbische Kronik no. 250 of October 21, 1879, pages 1977–1978, especially page 1977.
    • Stuttgart. Theodor Schurer and Wilhelm Rösch . In: Kunstchronik 15.1880, columns 62–63.
    • B .: The anniversary of the technical university in Stuttgart . In: Kunstchronik 15.1880, columns 65–68.
    • Johannes Zahlten: Florence on the Neckar beach? On the rebirth of the arts and their history at the Polytechnic School in Stuttgart . In: Johannes Zahlten (editor): 125 years of the Institute for Art History, University of Stuttgart. Herwarth Röttgen on his 60th birthday , Stuttgart 1991, pages 43–82, especially pages 57–63 [1] .
  • Mary with the divine child
    • Margarita Beitl (editor); Eberhard Gönner: Marienhospital 1890-1990 , Untermarchtal 1990, pages 38-39.
    • The new hospital of the Sisters of Charity in Stuttgart . In: Archives for Christian Art 8.1890, pages 82–84, panel after page 82.
  • Mörike monument
    • Art Chronicle 12.1877, Column 739, Art Chronicle 13.1878, Column 773–774, Art Chronicle 15.1880, Column 599.
    • Annette Schmidt: “Denkmalwuth!” - The Mörike monument in Stuttgart . In: Preservation of monuments in Baden-Württemberg, 30.2001, page 50.
    • Hans-Ulrich Simon: Mörike in portraits of his time: an iconography. Stuttgart: Hohenheim-Verlag, 2004, pages 131-132.
  • Muckenbüble
    • Art Chronicle 21.1886, column 721–722.
    • Manfred Schmid: "Muckenbüble" . In: Manfred Schmid; Jutta Ronke: Urban Lapidary. Museum Guide , Stuttgart [2006], page 4, 50.
  • Religion, spandrel relief of the Royal State Library
    • Heinrich Merz: From the Stuttgart Art Association . In: Christian Art Journal for Church, School and House , Volume 32, 1890, Pages 81–87, here 87.

Others

Web links

Commons : Wilhelm Rösch  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Neckarrems is now a district of Remseck am Neckar .
  2. ↑ A figura serpentinata is a "screwed figure", ie a figure that turns in a spiral.
  3. ^ The Württemberg architect Alexander von Tritschler (1828–1907) was the builder of the extension.
  4. ↑ Since the Second World War, only the extension of the polytechnic has remained. It now houses the rectorate of the University of Stuttgart. Address: Stuttgart, Keplerstraße 7.
  5. ↑ #Merz 1890
  6. ↑ Fecit = created.
  7. ^ On the 100th year of Wilhelm Rösch's death.
  8. ↑ It could not be determined whether the cast still exists or whether it is still in the possession of Commerzbank (formerly Dresdner Bank).
  9. ↑ The inscription "Meisenbach" refers to Georg Meisenbach , the creator of the artwork.
  10. ↑ Ludwig Stark (1831–1884) was a pianist, composer and professor at the Conservatory for Music in Stuttgart.
personal data
SURNAME Rösch, Wilhelm
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Rösch, Johann Wilhelm (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German sculptor
DATE OF BIRTH November 8, 1850
PLACE OF BIRTH Neckarrems
DATE OF DEATH August 8, 1893
Place of death Stuttgart