Otto Lindig
Encyclopedia
Otto Lindig was a German master potter
who was a student and later a workshop manager at the famous Bauhaus
art school in Weimar
, Germany
.
, Germany. Initially trained as an artist and modeler, he also studied sculpture with architect and designer Henry van de Velde
in 1913-15 at the Weimar Kunstgewerbeschule
(Arts and Crafts School), in the building that would soon become the first location of the Bauhaus. Shortly after the Bauhaus opened in 1919, Lindig enrolled in the program and, beginning in 1920, studied ceramics with sculptor Gerhard Marcks
, his Formmeister (form master) and Master Potter Max Krehan, his Lehrmeister (craft master) at the school’s pottery annex in Dornburg
on the Saale
River, about fifteen miles from Weimar. At the time, he was one of four Bauhaus student potters who successfully completed their journeyman examinations (along with Theodor Bogler, Werner Burri and Marguerite Wildenhain
).
In 1923, coincident with its first public exhibition of student work, there was a rift at the Bauhaus, in which some faculty and students were in sympathy with a shift in the school’s philosophy toward “Art and Technology: A New Unity,” while others opposed it (Marcks and Krehan in particular). In contrast, Lindig and Bogler, who sometimes collaborated, were willing and eager to learn about machine production. In 1924, they were put in charge of an experimental production workshop (housed in a remodeled stable down the hill from the Krehan Pottery) in which they developed slip-cast molds that could be used to mass produce ceramic containers. Marcks was put in charge of both the "upper" and "lower" workshops.
, at which time its pottery workshop was discontinued. Remaining in Dornburg, Lindig continued as manager of the workshop, referred to as the Ceramics Department of the State Building School of Weimar, until 1930. That year, he leased the building for his own purposes, and continued to manage the workshop until 1947, at which time he joined the faculty at the Landeskunstschule (Regional Art School) in Hamburg, where his former master Gerhard Marcks had been teaching sculpture since the end of World War II.
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
who was a student and later a workshop manager at the famous Bauhaus
Bauhaus
', commonly known simply as Bauhaus, was a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933. At that time the German term stood for "School of Building".The Bauhaus school was founded by...
art school in Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
, Germany
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...
.
Background
Lindig was born in PößneckPößneck
Pößneck is a town in the Saale-Orla-Kreis district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 19 km east of Rudolstadt, and 26 km south of Jena....
, Germany. Initially trained as an artist and modeler, he also studied sculpture with architect and designer Henry van de Velde
Henry van de Velde
Henry Clemens Van de Velde was a Belgian Flemish painter, architect and interior designer. Together with Victor Horta and Paul Hankar he could be considered one of the main founders and representatives of Art Nouveau in Belgium...
in 1913-15 at the Weimar Kunstgewerbeschule
Kunstgewerbeschule
A Kunstgewerbeschule was the old name for an advanced school of applied arts in German-speaking countries. The first such schools were opened in Kassel in 1867 and Berlin and Munich in 1868 with other German towns following. They are now merged into universities....
(Arts and Crafts School), in the building that would soon become the first location of the Bauhaus. Shortly after the Bauhaus opened in 1919, Lindig enrolled in the program and, beginning in 1920, studied ceramics with sculptor Gerhard Marcks
Gerhard Marcks
Gerhard Marcks was a German sculptor, who is also well-known for his drawings, woodcuts, lithographs and ceramics.-Background:...
, his Formmeister (form master) and Master Potter Max Krehan, his Lehrmeister (craft master) at the school’s pottery annex in Dornburg
Dornburg
Dornburg is a town in the Saale-Holzland district, in Thuringia, Germany. It sits atop a small hill of 400 ft above the Saale. Since 1 December 2008, it is part of the town Dornburg-Camburg.-Main sights:...
on the Saale
Saale
The Saale, also known as the Saxon Saale and Thuringian Saale , is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saale, a right-bank tributary of the Main, or the Saale in Lower Saxony, a tributary of the Leine.-Course:The Saale...
River, about fifteen miles from Weimar. At the time, he was one of four Bauhaus student potters who successfully completed their journeyman examinations (along with Theodor Bogler, Werner Burri and Marguerite Wildenhain
Marguerite Wildenhain
Marguerite Wildenhain , born Marguerite Friedlaender, was a French-born American ceramic artist, educator and author. In the second half of her life, having emigrated to the U.S...
).
In 1923, coincident with its first public exhibition of student work, there was a rift at the Bauhaus, in which some faculty and students were in sympathy with a shift in the school’s philosophy toward “Art and Technology: A New Unity,” while others opposed it (Marcks and Krehan in particular). In contrast, Lindig and Bogler, who sometimes collaborated, were willing and eager to learn about machine production. In 1924, they were put in charge of an experimental production workshop (housed in a remodeled stable down the hill from the Krehan Pottery) in which they developed slip-cast molds that could be used to mass produce ceramic containers. Marcks was put in charge of both the "upper" and "lower" workshops.
Later life
In 1925, the Bauhaus moved to DessauDessau
Dessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Roßlau. Population of Dessau proper: 77,973 .-Geography:...
, at which time its pottery workshop was discontinued. Remaining in Dornburg, Lindig continued as manager of the workshop, referred to as the Ceramics Department of the State Building School of Weimar, until 1930. That year, he leased the building for his own purposes, and continued to manage the workshop until 1947, at which time he joined the faculty at the Landeskunstschule (Regional Art School) in Hamburg, where his former master Gerhard Marcks had been teaching sculpture since the end of World War II.
Sources
- Karen McCready. Art Deco and Modernist Ceramics. London: Thames and Hudson, 1995.
- Jeannine Fiedler and Peter Feierabend, eds. Bauhaus. Cologne, Germany: Konemann, 1999. ISBN 3-8290-2593-9.
- Mel Byars. The Design Encyclopedia. New York: Museum of Modern Art, (1994) 2004. ISBN 0-87070-012-X.
- Dean and Geraldine Schwarz, eds. Marguerite Wildenhain and the Bauhaus: An Eyewitness Anthology. Decorah, Iowa: South Bear Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-9761381-2-9.
External links
- Marguerite Wildenhain and the Bauhaus [includes extensive sections on Lindig, Marcks and Krehan, and the Dornburg pottery workshop]
- Otto Lindig's daughter Christiane Bernstiel's website [Christiane Bernstiel is continuing to create Otto Lindigs designs from casts and glazes handed down to her from her father. She also designs and creates her own work influenced by the Bauhaus philosophies]