Willi Könn
Willi Könn (born June 17, 1912 in Lendersdorf ; † December 18, 1997 in Ketsch ) was a German painter , graphic artist and wood cutter of the classical modern age .
Life
Willi Könn was the third child of the farrier and boilermaker Wilhelm Leonhart Könn and his wife Christine geb. Kirvel. His father was drafted into the military at the beginning of the First World War in 1914. During the war, the mother and her three children lived in poor conditions. Due to his father's commitment in the battles on the Somme , Könn didn't get to know his father until he was five. After visiting the cath. Lendersdorf elementary school Willi Könn began to work as a paper worker at the Hoesch paper works in Düren / Kreuzau at the age of 16 . Although his father wanted his son to learn the blacksmith's trade like himself, Willi developed a special interest in music and painting. During his free time he first took violin lessons from Albert Apel, the first concertmaster of the city of Düren . In the early 1930s he began distance learning as a commercial artist and in 1935 passed the entrance exam at the State Art Academy in Düsseldorf . Due to private and social circumstances, he was ultimately self-taught as a draftsman , painter and wood cutter .
In the post-war years, Willi Könn developed an increasingly abstract style, with the woodcut later becoming his main means of expression. With his motifs he remained true to man and nature, for which he had a special gift for observation. Willi Könn was married to Hedwig Könn (née Classen), who was always a support in his life's work. They had a son.
Artist friendships
In the later years of his life, Könn developed a close friendship with his artist friend Jean Schmitz from Düren , a member of the international Friends of Nörvenich Castle . It was through him that Könn became acquainted with the then "First Lady" Mildred Scheel , the founder of the German Cancer Aid . The artist friends were among the first to support the cancer aid charity events in the fight against the common disease .
Exhibitions
- Kunstpalast Düsseldorf Great Christmas exhibition 1952, the visual artists of Rhineland and Westphalia
- Leopold-Hoesch-Museum Düren , annual exhibitions of the Düren artists in the years 1957, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974
- Kunsthalle Köln , Kölnischer Kunstverein , Kölner Kunst Kaleidoskop 1973
- Hahnentorburg Cologne 1978, professional association of fine artists NRW
- Kunstmuseum Nörvenich benefit exhibition German Cancer Aid , patronage Mildred Scheel , 1982
- Museum of European Art , Nörvenich Castle , NRW-Kunstkreis 1984
- Schwetzingen Freundeskreis Druckgrafik, 1990, pen drawings, etchings, woodcuts and linocuts,
- Euregio, Mechernich , Art and Culture Working Group, Land von Menschenhand, 1991
- BASF , Limburgerhof , LIHOART 1993, complete works
- 2. Monschau 1996, A river along the Rur
literature
- Festschrift: "Art and Artists in the Düren Area", 1984, publisher Edition Tolbiac / curator Dieter Topp. ISBN 3-923399-09-X
- Rathenower Zeitung 1945, illustrations for the report: Expelled from the Rhineland to Premnitz
- The Christian Family , 1950, weekly Essen, cover picture “Hirtenlied”, issue No. 35 and illustrations
- Dürener Nachrichten , May 21, 1982, appreciation of his genre man and nature in the Dürener Land
- Dürener Nachrichten, August 17, 1985, portrait and appreciation of life's work
- Walter Laufenberg : Festschrift Willi Könn, November 24, 1990, design: Daniela Könn Freundeskreis Druckgrafik, metropolitan region Rhein-Neckar
- Die Rheinpfalz , Ludwigshafen, April 7, 1993, description of the work with appreciation of his abstract woodcuts and linocuts
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Well, Willi |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German graphic artist, painter and wood cutter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 17, 1912 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lendersdorf |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 18, 1997 |
| Place of death | Ketch |