City of Split Heritage Journal, No. 34, 2007.
Original scientific paper
THE MOTIFS OF SPLIT IN THE WORKS OF GERMAN AND AUSTRIAN PAINTERS
Stanko Piplović
Abstract
During the period of twenty years between the two world wars, Split experienced a lively art activity. Among foreign artists, many of them were from German speaking areas. They organized exhibitions in Salon Galić founded in 1924. Among them were Wilhelm Sauer, Dorothea Hauser, Fritz Dücker, Walter Wecus, Rudolf Bunk. The Austrian graphic artist from Vienna Wilhelm Sauer was thrilled by Dalmatia. Even before World War I he painted motifs with Mediterranean atmosphere. On May 9, 1926 he inaugurated his first one-man exhibition. On that occasion, dr. Ivo Delalle held a short lecture on foreign artists in Dalmatia. More than 50 watercolors and drawings of coastal towns and landscapes were exhibited. The best known is his map of of watercolored woodcuts "Dalmatia". Many of his works present motifs from the historic center of Split. Some of them are kept in the Split City Museum and the Gallery of Arts in Split.
Painter Dorothea Hauser born in Graz in 1877 was also fond of Dalmatia, particularly Split. She studied fine arts in Graz, Vienna, Munich and Dresden. At the end of 1927 she held an exhibition in Split displaying about 50 watercolors, silhouettes and miniatures. She visited Split three times and was attracted her by its picturesqueness and lush vegetation. Her watercolors mostly depict seascapes of
strong colors while her miniatures depict the many locals among which the Split mayor dr. Ivo Tartaglia.
The young German painter Fritz Dücker from Cleve, Lower Rhine studied at art academies in Dusseldorf, Antwerp and Amsterdam. His woodcuts were published in many journals, and he also excelled in ex libris. During 1932 and 1933 he lived in Dalmatia for several months. In spring 1933 in Split he opened an exhibition of about sixty works made in that period. The guests were greeted by Čiro Čičin Šain,
notable writer. The greatest attractions were woodcuts with motifs of small coves, boats and narrow streets of the old Split.
Painter Watler von Wecus studied at the School for Arts and Crafts in Dusseldorf. Through a period of several years he also occasionally stayed in Dalmatia. In September 1933 in Salon Galić he exhibited 26 works in tempera, chalk and pencil. Again in 1935 he exhibited new paintings in oil, pastels and drawings. He made a great number of paintings with motifs of the Adriatic coast. Especially notable is his
map of drawings "Dalmatien".
At the end of 1938, due to the difficult situation in his country, German painter Wilhelm Mahrholz emigrated. He traveled across Europe and came to Yugoslavia, and stayed in Split for several months. The many friends he made urged him to hold an exhibition. He decided to present himself with watercolors and drawings but there is no evidence that this idea was carried out.
In April 1939 a joint exhibition of English painter Philip Ullott and German painter Gasebner was organized. The latter had already exhibited in many European cities as well as Sarajevo and Dubrovnik. The 31 masterly composed lively watercolors attracted great attention in Split. The exhibition of German lithography entitled "One Century of German Painting from Romanticism until the Present" was opened on March 19, 1940. It was organized by the German Academy from Munich. The exhibited reproductions gave an overview of painting from 1800 to the first half of the 19th century, from Caspar David Friedrich to contemporaries of Franz von Stuck. This retrospective was
certainly a fine way of acquainting the public with contemporary art movements in Europe.
German painter Rudolf Bunk studied in Berlin and Stockholm. He moved to Split in search of a more appropriate social environment and inspiration for creative work. He was greatly influenced by the Modernism and particularly inspired by the beauties of the coastal landscape. In 1940 he exhibited in Split.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
66963
URI
Publication date:
1.12.2007.
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