Weimar Saxon-Grand Ducal Art School
The Weimar Saxon-Grand Ducal Art School was created on October 1, 1860, by a decree of Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. It existed until 1910, at which time it was promoted to a "Hochschule". It should not be confused with the Weimar Princely Free Drawing School, which existed from 1776 to 1930 and, after 1860, served as a preparatory school.
History
From 1870 to 1900, the students and teachers of the school turned away from the academic tradition of idealized compositions. Inspired by the Barbizon School, they went directly to nature for their inspiration, in genre as well as landscape painting. This approach set the school apart and attracted attention throughout Europe.
In 1910, William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, in cooperation with Hans Olde (Director of the Art School), Adolf Brütt (Director of the Sculpture School) and Henry van de Velde (Director of the School of Arts & Crafts), joined the three schools to create a new Hochschule: The "Grand Ducal Saxon School of Visual Arts in Weimar", headed by Fritz Mackensen. Several more transformations led to the school's becoming part of the Bauhaus-University Weimar.
The Art School Building
The Art School Building (also called the "Studio Building") was constructed in two phases: 1904/05 and 1911, on the former Art School Road from plans drawn up by Henry van de Velde. Both buildings are true to the principles of Jugendstil regarding functionality and appropriate use of materials. As the founding place of the Bauhaus movement, it has been one of the most important arts schools of the century. Of particular note in the building's interior are the Oberlichtsaal (skylight hall), the elliptical staircase and the statue of Eve by Auguste Rodin.
In December 1996, the building (together with the former Arts & Crafts School) was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 1999, it was restored to an approximation of its original appearance by architect Thomas van den Valentyn and his team. This restoration included the "Gropiuszimmer"; the room that served as Walter Gropius' office when he was the director, which was returned to its former state, c.1925. The building now houses the School of Architecture, the Design Department, the Dean's office and the Rector's office.
Associated people
Directors and lecturers
By date of appointment.
| Name | Life | Class | Teacher (dates) | Director (dates) | Pupils | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanislaus von Kalckreuth | 1820–1894 | 1860–1876 | ||||
| Alexander Michelis | 1823–1888 | 1863–1868 | ||||
| Arnold Böcklin | 1827–1901 | 1860–1862 | ||||
| Arthur von Ramberg | 1819–1875 | 1860–1866 | ||||
| Carl Hummel | 1821-? | Landscape painting | 1860-? | |||
| Franz von Lenbach | 1836–1904 | 1860-? | ||||
| Johann Wilhelm Cordes | 1824–1869 | 1860–1869 | ||||
| Reinhold Begas | 1831–1911 | 1861-(1863?) | ||||
| Ferdinand Pauwels | 1830–1904 | History painting | 1862–1872 | |||
| Bernhard Plockhorst | 1825–1907 | History and portrait painting, Drawing | 1866–1869 | |||
| Paul Thumann | 1834–1908 | Genre painting | 1866-? | A former pupil of F. Pauwels | ||
| Max Schmidt | 1818–1901 | 1868–1872 | ||||
| Charles Verlat | 1824–1890 | Animal painting | 1869-? | |||
| Karl Gussow | 1843–1907 | 1870 | ||||
| Theodor Hagen | 1841–1919 | Landscape painting | 1871 | 1877–1881 | Also taught from 1881 | |
| Albert Baur | 1835–1906 | 1872-(1876?) | ||||
| Ferdinand Schauss | 1832–1916 | Portrait and genre painting | 1873–1876 | |||
| Franz Gustav Arndt | 1842-? | Landscape painting | 1876-? | Former pupil, ab 1879 Secretary of the School of Arts | ||
| Willem Linnig der Jüngere | 1849-? | Genre and history painting | 1876-? | Former pupil | ||
| Alexandre Stuys | 1852-? | Theatre painting | 1878- ? | |||
| Albert Heinrich Brendel | 1827–1895 | Animal painting | ? | 1882–1885 | ||
| Max Thedy | 1858–1924 | 1883 | ||||
| Leopold von Kalckreuth | 1855–1928 | 1885–1890 | Former pupil, son of Stanislaus Kalckreuth | |||
| Edgar Meyer | 1853-1925 | 1886-? | ||||
| Hans Olde | 1855–1917 | 1902?-? | Established the Kunstschule as a Hochschule | |||
| Ludwig von Hofmann | 1861–1945 | 1903–1907 | Founder of the Neues Weimar movement | |||
| Gari Melchers | 1860–1932 | 1909–1914 | American (German father) | |||
| Albin Egger-Lienz | 1868–1926 | 1912–1913 | ||||
| Theodor Schindler | 1870–1950 | 1913–1914 |
Well-known pupils
- Carl Arp, Hans Arp, Paul Baum, Max Beckmann, Ella Bergmann-Michel, Hugo L. Braune, Ferdinand Brütt, Karl Buchholz, Julius Victor Carstens, Paul Eduard Crodel, Hans Delbrück, Mathilde Freiin von Freytag-Loringhoven, Ludwig von Gleichen-Rußwurm, Karl Gussow, August Haake, Wilhelm Hasemann, Ivo Hauptmann, Rudolf Höckner, Otto Illies, Leopold Graf von Kalckreuth, Otto von Kameke, Fritz Lattke, Max Liebermann, Carl Malchin, Carlo Mense, Benedikt Momme Nissen, Eduard Morres, Alexander Olbricht, Otto Piltz, Leon Pohle, Adolf Rettelbusch, Christian Rohlfs, Paul Thumann, Minna Beckmann-Tube, Eduard Weichberger, Erich Windbichler, Adolf Ziegler.
Further reading
- Walther Scheidig: Die Weimarer Malerschule. Seemann, Leipzig 1991, ISBN 3-363-00538-5.
- Hendrik Ziegler: Die Kunst der Weimarer Malerschule. Von der Pleinairmalerei zum Impressionismus. Böhlau, Cologne, Weimar, Vienna 2001, ISBN 3-412-15400-8.
- Renate Müller-Krumbach, Karl Schawelka, Norbert Korrek, Gerwin Zohlen: Die Belebung des Stoffes durch die Form. Van de Veldes Hochschulbau in Weimar. Verlag der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Weimar 2002, ISBN 978-3-86068-166-4.
- Silke Opitz (Hrsg.): Van de Veldes Kunstschulbauten in Weimar. Architektur und Ausstattung. Verlag der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Weimar 2004, ISBN 3-86068-201-6.
- Michael Eckhardt (Hrsg.): Bauhaus-Spaziergang. In Weimar unterwegs auf den Spuren des frühen Bauhauses. Verlag der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Weimar 2009, ISBN 978-3-86068-378-1.
- Frank Simon-Ritz, Klaus-Jürgen Winkler, Gerd Zimmermann (Hrsg.): Aber wir sind! Wir wollen! Und wir schaffen! Von der Großherzoglichen Kunstschule zur Bauhaus-Universität. Verlag der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Weimar 2010, ISBN 978-3-86068-419-1.
External links
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