Adolf Hölzel
Born. 13 May 1853 in Olmütz, Czech Republic
Died. 17 October 1934 in Stuttgart
German painter, an early protagonist of abstraction and pioneer of modernism.
Adolf Hölzel’s father, who was a successful bookseller and publisher, wanted his son to follow in his footsteps and take over the family business. At 15, Adolf attended a trade school to help him prepare for his new position as an apprenticeship typesetter. As Adolf had developed a keen interest in art, he also took private lessons to improve his drawing and painting skills.
After completing his three-year apprenticeship, his father, who was not happy about his love of art and preferred that he helped with the family business, allowed him to continue his art studies at the Vienna Academy. Hölzel studied for four years at the academy before moving to Munich to continue his development.
Hölzel had an affinity for both cities and was a co-founder of both the Munich and Vienna Secession movements that wanted to break away from the constraints of traditional art.
The problems with his father continued and troubled Adolf so much that he considered joining the military to escape the constant criticism. However, when he was in his thirties he found his way. He got married to Karoline Emilie in 1882 and spent time in Paris before moving to Dachau in 1887. Adolf started his painting school and soon developed a following due to his innovative teaching methods.
Hölzel was influenced by French Impressionism, and this can be seen in a lot of his earlier work. He moved towards drawing black and white designs and figures before turning towards abstract shapes filled with colour.
Even though Adolf Hölzel was a wonderful teacher to many students, his artistic talent was not recognised during his life as an artist. He died in Stuttgart on October 17, 1934. However, before his death, he wrote: “I want no one to be inconvenienced by my death. After all, I know how few people were interested in my artistic endeavors and thus in me.”
Three years later, as part of Germany’s action against “Degenerate Art”, Hölzel’s works were confiscated from the Breslau Silesian Museum of Fine Arts and the Württembergische Staatsgalerie Stuttgart. They were sold to recoup the costs of their removal and were acquired in 1939 by Emanuel Fohn. Most of them are now back in public collections.
Source: Wikipedia