Michel Engels
Encyclopedia
Michel Engels was a Luxembourg
illustrator, painter and art teacher who is remembered principally for his sketches of the fortifications of Luxembourg City
and for cofounding the Cercle artistique de Luxembourg
.
district of Luxembourg City on 6 June 1851, Engels studied art at the Athénée
where he was one of the last students instructed by Jean-Baptiste Fresez
, considered to be Luxembourg's greatest 19th-century artist. Benefitting from a State grant, he then went on to study at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts
.
Side by side with his academic career he became a highly appreciated creative artist, sketching in pencil or pen and ink, sometimes adding colour. He was less interested in painting although he has left a large picture of the Holy Family in the Rollingergrund Church. A stickler for detail, he was nicknamed "The Meticulous Engels". Specialising in religious and historical scenes, he published a number of albums including "Bilder aus der ehemaligen Bundesfestung" (Scenes of the Former Fortifications), "Le Luxembourg pittoresque" (Picturesque Luxembourg) and "Stadt und Festung Luxemburg ehemals und heute" (The City and Fortress of Luxembourg Yesterday and Today" as well as 31 sheets illustrating the closing procession during the city's national Octave festival
. His scenes are depicted with fine lines but, in the absence of any figures, have a rather cold appearance. They do however faithfully represent the city's past, based as they are on lithographs by Jean-Baptiste Fresez or Nicolas Liez
or early photographs by pioneers such as Pierre Brandebourg
.
In addition to his own historical drawings, he illustrated books and magazines and wrote accounts of his travels to Budapest
, Munich
and Vienna
or to Italy
and Switzerland
. His account of his stays in Paris
tells how he met the famous Hungarian painter Mihály Munkácsy
who subsequently invited him to the Château de Colbach and gave him an album of his sketches. He also published several illustrated works on art and contributed articles to the German press. Finally, he also painted a few watercolours including those of the castles of Bourscheid and Clervaux.
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
illustrator, painter and art teacher who is remembered principally for his sketches of the fortifications of Luxembourg City
Luxembourg (city)
The city of Luxembourg , also known as Luxembourg City , is a commune with city status, and the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is located at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse Rivers in southern Luxembourg...
and for cofounding the Cercle artistique de Luxembourg
Cercle artistique de Luxembourg
The Cercle artistique de Luxembourg or CAL, founded in 1893 as Cercle artistique luxembourgeois, is an association which brings together artists of all types with a view to supporting artistic work and art education in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg....
.
Early life
Born in the RollingergrundRollingergrund
Rollingergrund is an area of north-western Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. It forms the majority of the quarter of Rollingergrund-North Belair....
district of Luxembourg City on 6 June 1851, Engels studied art at the Athénée
Athénée de Luxembourg
The Athénée de Luxembourg , is a high school in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. It's commonly called Stater Kolléisch or De Kolléisch, and is the nation's oldest high school.-Brief history:...
where he was one of the last students instructed by Jean-Baptiste Fresez
Jean-Baptiste Fresez
Jean-Baptiste Fresez was Luxembourg's most important 19th-century painter. He is remembered above all for his almost photographic images of the City of Luxembourg.-Early life:...
, considered to be Luxembourg's greatest 19th-century artist. Benefitting from a State grant, he then went on to study at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts
Academy of Fine Arts, Munich
The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich was founded 1808 by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria in Munich as the "Royal Academy of Fine Arts" and is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany...
.
Career
On his return to Luxembourg, Engels became an art teacher at the Athénée, gaining the status of professor in 1895. He was popular among his students who he would often take down to the Rollingergrund to practice sketching. In 1889, he published a set of 20 drawings of scenes in Luxembourg City, encouraging his students to use them as a guide. He also stimulated their interest in art by giving lectures and publishing papers, opening up a new approach to art teaching in the Grand Duchy.Side by side with his academic career he became a highly appreciated creative artist, sketching in pencil or pen and ink, sometimes adding colour. He was less interested in painting although he has left a large picture of the Holy Family in the Rollingergrund Church. A stickler for detail, he was nicknamed "The Meticulous Engels". Specialising in religious and historical scenes, he published a number of albums including "Bilder aus der ehemaligen Bundesfestung" (Scenes of the Former Fortifications), "Le Luxembourg pittoresque" (Picturesque Luxembourg) and "Stadt und Festung Luxemburg ehemals und heute" (The City and Fortress of Luxembourg Yesterday and Today" as well as 31 sheets illustrating the closing procession during the city's national Octave festival
Octave celebration
The Octave is one of Luxembourg's major annual religious celebrations. It takes starts on the 3rd Sunday after Easter and closes with the Octave Procession on the 5th Sunday after Easter. It honours Our Lady of Luxembourg, Maria Mater Jesu, Consolatrix Afflictorum, Patrona Civitatis et Patriae...
. His scenes are depicted with fine lines but, in the absence of any figures, have a rather cold appearance. They do however faithfully represent the city's past, based as they are on lithographs by Jean-Baptiste Fresez or Nicolas Liez
Nicolas Liez
Nicolas Liez was a Luxembourg painter, sculptor and architect who is remembered in particular for his lithographs of scenes throughout the Grand Duchy and for his oil painting of the City of Luxembourg.-Early life:...
or early photographs by pioneers such as Pierre Brandebourg
Pierre Brandebourg
Pierre Paul Brandebourg, also Peter Brandenbourg was a Luxembourg painter and photographer. He was the first to open a photographic studio in the city of Luxembourg.-Early life and family:...
.
In addition to his own historical drawings, he illustrated books and magazines and wrote accounts of his travels to Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
or to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. His account of his stays in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
tells how he met the famous Hungarian painter Mihály Munkácsy
Mihály Munkácsy
Mihály Munkácsy was a Hungarian painter, who lived in Paris and earned international reputation with his genre pictures and large scale biblical paintings.-Early Years of Munkácsy:...
who subsequently invited him to the Château de Colbach and gave him an album of his sketches. He also published several illustrated works on art and contributed articles to the German press. Finally, he also painted a few watercolours including those of the castles of Bourscheid and Clervaux.
Awards and affiliations
- Knight of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau
- Member of the Grand Ducal InstituteGrand Ducal InstituteGrand Ducal Institute is the national academy of Luxembourg, and is based in Luxembourg City in the south of the country.The Institute incorporates six subsections, each dedicated to a separate field of academic research:...
- Cofounder of the Cercle artistique de LuxembourgCercle artistique de LuxembourgThe Cercle artistique de Luxembourg or CAL, founded in 1893 as Cercle artistique luxembourgeois, is an association which brings together artists of all types with a view to supporting artistic work and art education in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg....
(1893)
External links
- Portrait of Michel Engels with link to a short video containing many illustrations of his work.