Peter Fuchs
Encyclopedia
Peter Fuchs was a German
sculptor.
and in the studio of Vincenz Statz in Cologne
.
From 1851 to 1854 he worked in Speyer
with the sculptor Gottfried Renn (1818–1880) and in Frankfurt am Main with Eduard Schmidt von der Launitz
(1797–1869) and Eduard Jakob von Steinle.
In 1855 Peter Fuchs returned to Cologne, where he created such large sandstone reliefs and statue groups as the Four Prophets
(1858) for the Mariensäule in the Gereonsdriesch and the life-size figures of SS Dionysius and Reinold
(1866–1871) for the west front of St. Mauritius.
From 1865 to 1881 he produced some 700 life-size and slightly over-life-size sculptures for Cologne Cathedral
, mostly reliefs and seated and standing figures depicting scenes from the Bible and lives of the saints. Many of these are to be found on the columns and walls of the south transept (1866–1872), the west towers (1871), the west front and the north front (1879–1881) and the Petersportal (1881). Several preliminary drawings (1879–1880) for uncompleted sculptures are located in the Dombauarchiv.
Influenced by the Nazarenes
, after 1870 Peter Fuchs lengthened his figures and encased them in garments with sharp-edged, graphic folds. He was also influenced by the work of contemporary German sculptors working in the monumental style, as can be seen in the rendering of naturalistic heads and pathetic expression and in the isolation of the figures from each other. The reliefs and statues of Old and New Testament prophets (1895–1898) from the tympanum and the bronze doors of the west front of Bremen Cathedral
, with their attenuated stances and pronounced folds of drapery, show his debt to the figures in Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise (Florence, Mus. Opera Duomo) and to the sculptures of the Beuron Art School
of the last third of the 19th century.
Reference: Peter Fuchs." The Concise Grove Dictionary of Art. Oxford University Press, Inc., 2002. Answers.com 08 Aug. 2008.
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...
sculptor.
Biography
From 1844 to 1849 Peter Fuchs was an apprentice mason in the Cologne Dombauhütte and for the next two years he worked as a mason for St. Nicolai in HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and in the studio of Vincenz Statz in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
.
From 1851 to 1854 he worked in Speyer
Speyer
Speyer is a city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located beside the river Rhine, Speyer is 25 km south of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim. Founded by the Romans, it is one of Germany's oldest cities...
with the sculptor Gottfried Renn (1818–1880) and in Frankfurt am Main with Eduard Schmidt von der Launitz
Eduard Schmidt von der Launitz
Eduard Schmidt von der Launitz was a German sculptor.Launitz was born a Baltic German in Grobin, Courland, which was then part of the Russian Empire. He was raised in Vechelde in the Duchy of Brunswick in 1809 after the death of his parents. In 1815 he began studying jurisprudence at the...
(1797–1869) and Eduard Jakob von Steinle.
In 1855 Peter Fuchs returned to Cologne, where he created such large sandstone reliefs and statue groups as the Four Prophets
Four Prophets
Four Prophets is a modern translation from Hebrew sources of the books of Amos, Hosea, First Isaiah and Micah by scholar J. B. Phillips. Phillips also translated The New Testament in Modern English. The remainder of the Old Testament was never completed....
(1858) for the Mariensäule in the Gereonsdriesch and the life-size figures of SS Dionysius and Reinold
Reinold
Reinold was a Benedictine monk who lived in the 10th century. Supposedly a direct descendant of Charlemagne, and the fourth son mentioned in the romantic poem Aymon, by William Caxton, he began his religious life by entering the Benedictine monastery of Pantaleon in Cologne, Germany, where he was...
(1866–1871) for the west front of St. Mauritius.
From 1865 to 1881 he produced some 700 life-size and slightly over-life-size sculptures for Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and is a World Heritage Site...
, mostly reliefs and seated and standing figures depicting scenes from the Bible and lives of the saints. Many of these are to be found on the columns and walls of the south transept (1866–1872), the west towers (1871), the west front and the north front (1879–1881) and the Petersportal (1881). Several preliminary drawings (1879–1880) for uncompleted sculptures are located in the Dombauarchiv.
Influenced by the Nazarenes
Nazarene movement
The name Nazarene was adopted by a group of early 19th century German Romantic painters who aimed to revive honesty and spirituality in Christian art...
, after 1870 Peter Fuchs lengthened his figures and encased them in garments with sharp-edged, graphic folds. He was also influenced by the work of contemporary German sculptors working in the monumental style, as can be seen in the rendering of naturalistic heads and pathetic expression and in the isolation of the figures from each other. The reliefs and statues of Old and New Testament prophets (1895–1898) from the tympanum and the bronze doors of the west front of Bremen Cathedral
Bremen Cathedral
Bremen Cathedral , dedicated to St. Peter, is a church situated in the market square in the center of Bremen, in northern Germany. The cathedral belongs to the Bremian Evangelical Church, a member of the Protestant umbrella organisation named Evangelical Church in Germany...
, with their attenuated stances and pronounced folds of drapery, show his debt to the figures in Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise (Florence, Mus. Opera Duomo) and to the sculptures of the Beuron Art School
Beuron Art School
The Beuron art school was founded by a confederation of Benedictine monks in Germany in the late nineteenth century.-Notables:In addition to the first abbot of Beuron, Maurus Wolter , who founded the abbey with his brother Placidus in 1863, the early leaders of the artistic school were Father...
of the last third of the 19th century.
Reference: Peter Fuchs." The Concise Grove Dictionary of Art. Oxford University Press, Inc., 2002. Answers.com 08 Aug. 2008.
External links
- http://www.koeln-kh-augustinerinnen.de/view.php?nid=172&page=2
- http://www.heimatfreunde.de/Der_Heimatfreund/2003-II.pdf
- http://www.dombau-koeln.de/inhalt/08_bericht/download.php?id=50
- http://www.stadt-koeln.de/fifawm2006/presse/downloads/stadtportrait/koelner_dom.pdf