Wisa von Westphalen

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Wisa von Westphalen Self-Portrait Oil (60 × 70 cm, 1968)

Wisa von Westphalen (born October 12, 1910 in Helmern as Baroness Aloysia Jenny Maria Wilhelmine von Spiegel zu Peckelsheim ; † January 16, 1993 there ; bourgeois Aloysia Countess von Westphalen zu Fürstenberg) was a German painter . She was best known as a portrait and landscape painter .

Life

family

Wisa von Westphalen was born in 1910 as the eldest child of the District Administrator and Hereditary Marshal Joseph Raban Georg Karl Freiherr von Spiegel zu Peckelsheim (1878–1949) and Gertrut von Amelunxen (1887–1957). She grew up on her parents' manor in Helmern .
When she was 13 she went to boarding school in Holland . After graduating from school in 1929, she spent some time with her aunt, Abbess Maria Anna Benedicta von Spiegel , in the Benedictine Abbey of St. Walburg in Eichstätt . She then moved to the Pannwitz manor (today Pannowicze ) near Breslau to live with Silesian relatives for a few years , where she worked in agriculture . Wisa von Westphalen had acquired this property through adoption .

Since 1929 she therefore bore the name of her adoptive aunt: Countess von Bocholtz - Asseburg .

Coat of arms of the von Westphalen

In 1945 she married the businessman Karl Wilhelm Clemens Joseph Reichsgraf von Westphalen zu Fürstenberg (1907–1982). The marriage has two sons, Raban (* 1945) and Benedikt (* 1950). She lived with her family on the "Gipsmühle", the property of her father - near her parents' birthplace in Helmern. The painter had set up a studio here and worked until a few months before her death in 1993.

Artistic career

From 1935 to 1943 she studied painting in Munich with Petro Kálmán, Carl Hans Schrader-Velgen and Carl Otto Müller . The Hungarian painter Petro Kálmán taught her how to deal with portraits , people at rest. Professor Schrader-Velgen, on the other hand, attached great importance to movement, people in nature, which resulted in the later preference for the landscape . Possibly the foundation stone for the animal studies was laid in this way.
Her third teacher, Müller, gave her one more time to depict landscapes ; at the same time, however, she dealt with the shape and painterly rendering of floral motifs .

These three main motifs: landscape, flowers and the portrait accompanied the painter throughout her development, but not with constant intensity. The zeitgeist of the time certainly played a role in the choice of motif. The artist's role models can also be seen in the manner of representation. If you look at the portraits that she made during her student days and later, parallels to Wilhelm Leibl can be seen , especially to his early works. The slightly applied line, which is easily recognizable without dissolving the contour of the face, is a feature that can also be found in her work. Likewise, she designs the incidence of light in a very similar way to Leibl, by illuminating one half of the face that leaves the other in the shade. Given that Petro Kálmán was a master student of Leibl, this tendency does not seem coincidental. The painter's preference for Emil Nolde was only expressed much later and less pronounced . She adopted the color expression of feelings and moods in landscapes. The expressive , strong psychological coloring Nolde is rediscover her works in some, but usually much more realistic and more relaxed.
During her studies she dealt almost exclusively with oil paintings on canvas or on thin wooden panels. With the development of further techniques, these types of oil paintings are pushed back further and further until they are almost only used in portraits and some flower pictures. The watercolor , which initially took the place of an aid in the mixed media, became independent over the years. Finally, it provides a large part of the work.
From the 1970s onwards, she also produced a number of monotype works , this technique she had taken over from Franz Sales Gebhardt-Westerbuchberg . Some of the works are color-limited. Often only three to four colors are used, but these are finely nuanced . The color of the background, usually a subdued white, is included - the brightness of the background is used as a lighting element. Free areas remain glowing. The resulting contrasts in brightness make the images appear very vivid.
The thematic variety and the different handling of the painter are remarkable.

Memorial plaque Wisa von Westphalen, Willebadessen-Helmern (June 22, 2018)

Wisa von Westphalen had numerous exhibitions a. a. Gallery of Artists and House of German Art in Munich or Free Artist Community Schanze in Münster. Also in Darmstadt , Stuttgart , Hofgeismar and Warburg . As well as solo exhibitions in Höxter , New York , Düsseldorf , Wiesbaden , Karlsruhe , Bad Krozingen , Bremen , Münster , Bielefeld , Kassel , Gütersloh , Traben-Trarbach , Saarbrücken , Willebadessen and Kronberg im Taunus . Furthermore, from 1967 to 1977 she had regular exhibitions in the former state baths , Bad Salzuflen , Bad Oeynhausen and Bad Nauheim .

During her travels around the world, she made studies - these works reflect impressions and experiences - many landscape pictures , portraits and still lifes were later created from them in her studio on the "Gipsmühle" in Helmern .

Today her pictures are in a number of church and state institutions, u. a. the Abbey of Siegburg , or the University of Hanover and in various museums such as B. the Warburg City Museum , on public display. The Hochstift Paderborn has around 30 works, which can be seen as a permanent exhibition in the Hardehausen - Scherfede rural college . In the Großbodungen castle and in the Großbodungen bower , around 80 more works by Westphalia were permanently on display until the end of June 2018. Many of the works are also privately owned , and a catalog raisonné is documented.

In 2018, the municipality of Willebadessen - Helmern had the famous sculptor Raphael Strauch erect a memorial plaque for the artist not far from the house where she was born. On June 22, 2018, the memorial plaque, a self-portrait cast in epoxy resin , was presented to the public .

Works (selection)

  • Old peasant woman at the spinning wheel. Picture No. 6. Oil (1940)
  • Knitting woman. Oil (60 × 50, around 1941)
  • Autumn landscape. Picture No. 24. Oil (25.5 × 35.5, 1943)
  • Sunny heather with stable (Wilsede). Oil (60 × 50, 1949)
  • Schwalenberg with the castle. Oil (32 × 38.5, 1950)
  • Anemones. Oil (61 × 51, 1965/70)
  • Magnolias. Oil (90 × 60, 1965/70)
  • Self portrait. Oil (60 × 70, 1967)
  • Gray you roi. Watercolor (24 × 17, 1968)
  • Eagle owl. Monotype (60 × 80, 1970)
  • Magnolia branch. Watercolor (60 × 80, 1972)
  • Flowers on a blue background. Oil (60 × 80, 1972)
  • House in the Hebrides. Mixed media (40 × 50, 1973)
  • High moor in the Solling. Mixed media (60 × 80, 1975)
  • Willow by the water. Watercolor (50 × 70, 1976)

Exhibitions (selection)

Solo exhibitions

  • 1947–1969: Höxter, Henze Art Cabinet
  • 1961: Munich, Malura Gallery
  • 1967: New York, Chodroff-Galeries
  • 1967/1969/1971/1974/1977: Bad Salzuflen State Baths, Wandelhalle
  • 1968/1970/1975: Bad Oeynhausen State Baths, Wandelhalle
  • 1969/1971: Bad Nauheim State Spa , exhibition rooms in the spa
  • 1970: Düsseldorf, Galerie May
  • 1970: Wiesbaden, Galerie Dahms
  • 1970: Karlsruhe, Heinrich Hertz House
  • 1970: Bad Krozingen, Kurhaus
  • 1971: Bremen, Godenwind
  • 1973/1976: Gallery Münster
  • 1973: Bielefeld, Kunstkabinett Fischer
  • 1975: Kassel, Small Gallery
  • 1976: Gütersloh, Galerie Friedmann
  • 1979: Atelier exhibition in the gypsum mill
  • 1982: Traben-Trarbach, Bridge Gate Gallery
  • 1983: Atelier exhibition in the Gipsmühle
  • 1983/1989: Saarbrücken, Galerie Neuheisel
  • 1986: Willebadessen, European Sculpture Park
  • 1987: Kronberg, Receptur
  • 1990: Höxter, Dött goldsmith
  • 2016: Warburg, Landvolkshochschule Hardehausen
  • 2018: Willebadessen, Willebadessen Castle

Collective exhibitions

to travel

literature

  • Ute Schoffer: A contribution to the artistic work of the painter Wisa von Westphalen. (1992)
  • Wisa von Westphalen: A life for painting. (Count v. Westphalen, Willebadessen-Helmern, 1993 / unchanged reprint 2016)
  • Raban Graf von Westphalen / Gerlinde Gräfin von Westphalen (ed.): Two women from Helmern: the painter Wisa Gräfin von Westphalen and the abbess Benedicta Freiin von Spiegel-Peckelsheim OSB. Großbodungen 2018, in: Bodunger Contributions, Issue 16, ISSN 1610-8698.

Press reports (selection)

Web links

Commons : Wisa von Westphalen  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ irregular
  2. ↑ Memorial exhibition for Wisa von Westphalen "HEIMAT" (September 17 to October 16, 2016)
  3. ^ Special exhibition on the 25th anniversary of the death of the painter Aloysia (Wisa) Countess von Westphalen (September 21 to October 7, 2018)
  4. ^ Travelogue - Italy 1939, Wisa von Westphalen: A life for painting , page 63-69
  5. ^ Travelogue - Norway - August / September 1939, Wisa von Westphalen: A life for painting , page 71-87
  6. ↑ Admissions thesis Art History Bielefeld University
  7. ↑ Diary entries 1929–1972 and a contribution to the artistic work of Uta Schoffer

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Benedikt Graf von Westphalen celebrated Kronberg's 65th birthday on August 26, 2015
  2. ↑ a b gallery in the castle / Bodunger contributions, issue 10
  3. ↑ Uta Schoffer: A contribution to the artistic work of the painter Wisa von Westphalen , page 148, 149, 151, 152, 155, 156th
  4. ^ Wisa von Westphalen: A life for painting , page 170-172
  5. ↑ A place honors the art of Raphael Strauch - memorial plaque for Wisa von Westphalen . Neue Westfälische, edition June 25, 2018.
  6. ↑ Bad Salzuflen - Wandelhalle
  7. ^ Bad Oeynhausen - Wandelhalle
  8. ^ Saarbrücken - Galerie Neuheisel
  9. ↑ Willebadessen Castle
  10. ↑ BBK Munich and Upper Bavaria EV - Gallery of Artists
  11. ↑ Hofgeismar Art Circle
  12. ↑ Neue Westfälische → Landvolkshochschule Hardehausen shows Wisa von Westphalen
  13. ↑ "New monument unveiled in Helmern - artwork by Raphael Strauch commemorates Aloysia Countess von Westphalen zu Fürstenberg."
personal data
SURNAME Westphalen, Wisa von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Spiegel zu Peckelsheim, Baroness Aloysia Jenny Maria Wilhelmine von (birth name); Countess von Westphalen zu Fürstenberg, Aloysia; Bocholtz-Asseburg, Countess of
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German painter
DATE OF BIRTH October 12, 1910
PLACE OF BIRTH Helmern , Höxter district
DATE OF DEATH January 16, 1993
Place of death Helmets