Otto Hupp
Encyclopedia
Otto Hupp was a German
graphical artist. His main working area was heraldry
, yet he also worked as a typeface
designer, creating commercial symbols and metal works.
Hupp was born in Düsseldorf
, Rhenish Prussia, as the fourth of five sons of the engraver Carl Heinrich Hupp. His father made him learn engraving as his profession, and, shortly after finishing his education, he moved to Munich
in 1878. Since 1891 till his death Hupp lived in the suburb Oberschleißheim
. From the painter Rudolf Seitz
he learned many styles of painting, and when he met the architect Gabriel von Seidl he received several contracts to paint wall and ceiling fresco
s.
Hupp's main field of work was heraldry, painting more than 6,000 coats of arms and writing books on heraldry. His Wappen und Siegel der deutschen Städte, Flecken und Dörfer (Coats of Arms and Seals of German Cities, Places and Villageshttp://www.beerstein.net/articles/s9409.htm) book series was started in 1895, but of the originally ten planned volumes only five were finished. 3,300 of his paintings of coats of arms were published as a collecting set from the coffee company Kaffee HAG
from 1913–18 and 1926–38. This publication helped to make heraldry better known to the general public. Another important heraldic publication by Hupp were the Münchener Kalender (Munich calendar), of which 51 issues were published from 1885–1936 (the issue of 1933 was omitted). Along with painting existing coats of arms, he also created many drafts for communes which were applying for new arms. Possibly his most important coat of arms was the 1923 version for the state of Bavaria
, which, however, was replaced with a new version after World War II
.
The first typographic works of Hupp were made in 1883. His first typeface, Neudeutsch, was published in 1899 by Genzsch & Heyse. He created several further typeface later, such as Hupp-Gotisch, Hupp-Fraktur, and Hupp-Antiqua. However, as his typefaces were not designed for standard uses, they did not spread much, and are nowadays mostly forgotten. None of them was ever converted to be used in phototypesetting
.
Other significant works of Hupp include metal works for Speyer Cathedral
in 1904 (which also gained him the title professor in 1906), the cover of an astronomical clock
donated to the city of Munich, and the company logo of the Spaten brewery.
Though Hupp was undoubtedly an artist, he himself always denied to be called one, claiming he was just using the technique of an artist, but failing to have the creativity of one.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
graphical artist. His main working area was heraldry
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
, yet he also worked as a typeface
Typeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
designer, creating commercial symbols and metal works.
Hupp was born in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, Rhenish Prussia, as the fourth of five sons of the engraver Carl Heinrich Hupp. His father made him learn engraving as his profession, and, shortly after finishing his education, he moved to 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...
in 1878. Since 1891 till his death Hupp lived in the suburb Oberschleißheim
Oberschleißheim
Oberschleißheim is a municipality in the district of Munich, in Bavaria, Germany. It is located 13 km north of Munich . As of 2005 it had a population of 11,467....
. From the painter Rudolf Seitz
Rudolf Seitz
Rudolf Seitz was a Untersturmführer in the Waffen SS during World War II who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.Rudolf Seitz, while an Unterscharführer ,...
he learned many styles of painting, and when he met the architect Gabriel von Seidl he received several contracts to paint wall and ceiling fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
s.
Hupp's main field of work was heraldry, painting more than 6,000 coats of arms and writing books on heraldry. His Wappen und Siegel der deutschen Städte, Flecken und Dörfer (Coats of Arms and Seals of German Cities, Places and Villageshttp://www.beerstein.net/articles/s9409.htm) book series was started in 1895, but of the originally ten planned volumes only five were finished. 3,300 of his paintings of coats of arms were published as a collecting set from the coffee company Kaffee HAG
Coffee Hag albums
The Coffee Hag albums were published in the early 20th century by the Kaffee Handelsgesellschaft AG in Bremen, Germany, starting with heraldic stamps and collector's albums....
from 1913–18 and 1926–38. This publication helped to make heraldry better known to the general public. Another important heraldic publication by Hupp were the Münchener Kalender (Munich calendar), of which 51 issues were published from 1885–1936 (the issue of 1933 was omitted). Along with painting existing coats of arms, he also created many drafts for communes which were applying for new arms. Possibly his most important coat of arms was the 1923 version for the state of Bavaria
Coat of arms of Bavaria
The coat of arms of the German state of Bavaria has greater and lesser versions.It had been introduced by law fully by 5 June 1950:-The meaning of the coat of arms:...
, which, however, was replaced with a new version after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The first typographic works of Hupp were made in 1883. His first typeface, Neudeutsch, was published in 1899 by Genzsch & Heyse. He created several further typeface later, such as Hupp-Gotisch, Hupp-Fraktur, and Hupp-Antiqua. However, as his typefaces were not designed for standard uses, they did not spread much, and are nowadays mostly forgotten. None of them was ever converted to be used in phototypesetting
Phototypesetting
Phototypesetting was a method of setting type, rendered obsolete with the popularity of the personal computer and desktop publishing software, that uses a photographic process to generate columns of type on a scroll of photographic paper...
.
Other significant works of Hupp include metal works for Speyer Cathedral
Speyer Cathedral
The Speyer Cathedral, officially the Imperial Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption and St Stephen, in Latin: Domus sanctae Mariae Spirae in Speyer, Germany, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Speyer and is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Bamberg. The cathedral, which is dedicated to St...
in 1904 (which also gained him the title professor in 1906), the cover of an astronomical clock
Astronomical clock
An astronomical clock is a clock with special mechanisms and dials to display astronomical information, such as the relative positions of the sun, moon, zodiacal constellations, and sometimes major planets.-Definition:...
donated to the city of Munich, and the company logo of the Spaten brewery.
Though Hupp was undoubtedly an artist, he himself always denied to be called one, claiming he was just using the technique of an artist, but failing to have the creativity of one.
German
- Information with examples
- Literature List Online-Catalog of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin
- Biography with photo