Richard Guhr
Encyclopedia
Richard Guhr was a German sculptor and painter
. He became also known as one of the most important teachers of Otto Dix
.
Guhr was born in Schwerin
in 1873. At an age of 17 he came to Dresden
, the former home of his parents, to study at the Academy of Applied Arts
. From 1892 he continued his studies in Berlin
with Alfred Grenander
.
Richard Guhr contributed to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
1904 and to the interior of the 1907 opened Hotel Adlon
in Berlin. In 1905 he came back to Dresden where he was appointed professor at the Academy of Applied Arts in 1907. From 1910 to 1914 Otto Dix
was student in his class of figurative decorative painting. Moreover, Friedrich Kurt Fiedler
, Wilhelm Lachnit and Karl Völker
were among his students.
Until 1930 Guhr created some important artworks as the Goldener Rathausmann on top of Dresden's town hall, sculptures for the town halls in Barmen
and Bremen
as well as paintings for the town hall in Bochum
.
Guhr was a great admirer of Richard Wagner
. Already in 1911 he had designed on his own expenses the world's biggest memorial to the composer. It was originally planned for the Großer Garten
, but finally found its place in the valley of the river Wesenitz
near Graupa
.
During the Weimarer Republik, Guhr participated in the upcoming antisemitism and wrote some publications in which he blamed the Jews for the "decadence in art". In 1934, immediately after the dismissal of his former student and friend Otto Dix, Guhr was appointed professor at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts.
Many of his works, especially to Richard Wagner, were destroyed in the bombing of Dresden in World War II
. Guhr dedicated his last years in Höckendorf
to recreate some of these pieces. Guhr died here in 1956.
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
. He became also known as one of the most important teachers of Otto Dix
Otto Dix
Wilhelm Heinrich Otto Dix was a German painter and printmaker, noted for his ruthless and harshly realistic depictions of Weimar society and the brutality of war. Along with George Grosz, he is widely considered one of the most important artists of the Neue Sachlichkeit.-Early life and...
.
Guhr was born in Schwerin
Schwerin
Schwerin is the capital and second-largest city of the northern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The population, as of end of 2009, was 95,041.-History:...
in 1873. At an age of 17 he came to Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, the former home of his parents, to study at the Academy of Applied Arts
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....
. From 1892 he continued his studies in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
with Alfred Grenander
Alfred Grenander
Alfred Frederik Elias Grenander, , was one of the most prominent architects during the first building period of the Berlin U-Bahn in the first half of the twentieth century....
.
Louisiana Purchase Exposition
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the Saint Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States in 1904.- Background :...
1904 and to the interior of the 1907 opened Hotel Adlon
Hotel Adlon
Hotel Adlon is a hotel on Unter den Linden, the main boulevard in the Berlin city centre, directly opposite the Brandenburg Gate.-First Hotel Adlon 1907-1945:...
in Berlin. In 1905 he came back to Dresden where he was appointed professor at the Academy of Applied Arts in 1907. From 1910 to 1914 Otto Dix
Otto Dix
Wilhelm Heinrich Otto Dix was a German painter and printmaker, noted for his ruthless and harshly realistic depictions of Weimar society and the brutality of war. Along with George Grosz, he is widely considered one of the most important artists of the Neue Sachlichkeit.-Early life and...
was student in his class of figurative decorative painting. Moreover, Friedrich Kurt Fiedler
Friedrich Kurt Fiedler
Friedrich Kurt Fiedler was a German graphic designer and a representative of the Social Democratic Party. During the Weimar Republic he was acknowledged for his poster design, his book illustrations and his drawings...
, Wilhelm Lachnit and Karl Völker
Karl Völker
Karl Völker was a German architect and painter associated with the New Objectivity movement.He was born in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt and, after an apprenticeship as an interior decorator, studied in 1912-1913 at the Dresden School of Arts and Crafts where Richard Guhr was his teacher...
were among his students.
Until 1930 Guhr created some important artworks as the Goldener Rathausmann on top of Dresden's town hall, sculptures for the town halls in Barmen
Barmen
Barmen is a former industrial metropolis of the region of Bergisches Land, Germany, which in 1929 with four other towns was merged with the city of Wuppertal, North Rhine-Westphalia. Barmen was the birth-place of Friedrich Engels and together with the neighbouring town of Elberfeld founded the...
and Bremen
Town Hall of Bremen
The Town Hall of Bremen is the seat of the President of the Senate of Bremen and of the Mayor of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. It is one of the most important examples of Brick Gothic architecture in Europe...
as well as paintings for the town hall in Bochum
Bochum
Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and is surrounded by the cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen.-History:...
.
Guhr was a great admirer of Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
. Already in 1911 he had designed on his own expenses the world's biggest memorial to the composer. It was originally planned for the Großer Garten
Großer Garten
The Großer Garten is a baroque style park in Dresden. It is oblong in shape and covers an area of about 2 km² in a central location of the city. Established in 1676, it has been a public garden since 1814. Pathways and avenues are arranged symmetrically throughout its area...
, but finally found its place in the valley of the river Wesenitz
Wesenitz
The Wesenitz is a river in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, right tributary of the Elbe. Its total length is 83 km. The Wesenitz runs through the tourist regions of the Lusatian Highlands and Saxon Switzerland...
near Graupa
Pirna
Pirna is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, capital of the administrative district Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. The town's population is over 40,000. Pirna is located near Dresden and is an important district town as well as a Große Kreisstadt...
.
During the Weimarer Republik, Guhr participated in the upcoming antisemitism and wrote some publications in which he blamed the Jews for the "decadence in art". In 1934, immediately after the dismissal of his former student and friend Otto Dix, Guhr was appointed professor at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts.
Many of his works, especially to Richard Wagner, were destroyed in the bombing of Dresden in World War II
Bombing of Dresden in World War II
The Bombing of Dresden was a military bombing by the British Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Force and as part of the Allied forces between 13 February and 15 February 1945 in the Second World War...
. Guhr dedicated his last years in Höckendorf
Höckendorf
Höckendorf is a municipality in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in Saxony, Germany.- References :...
to recreate some of these pieces. Guhr died here in 1956.
Literature
- Joan L. Clinefelter: Artists for the Reich: culture and race from Weimar to Nazi Germany. Berg Publishers, 2005
External links
- Article in the Saxon Biography
- Article in the city wiki of Dresden
- Guhr's works at EuropeanaEuropeanaEuropeana.eu is an internet portal that acts as an interface to millions of books, paintings, films, museum objects and archival records that have been digitised throughout Europe...
- Portrait of Richard Guhr (1912)