Willi Geiger (painter)
Encyclopedia
Willi Geiger was a German
painter
.
The son of a teacher, Willi Geiger was born 1878 in Landshut. From 1898-99 he attended the Munich Arts and Crafts School, and later the Technical University, where he passed the state examination to teach drawing. Willi Geiger studied from 1903 with Franz von Stuck at the Munich Academy, including together with Hans Purrmann
. He was awarded the National prize and the Schack scholarship for some of his early work and he traveled to Spain, Italy, and North Africa. Willi Geiger was awarded the 1910 Villa Romana prize for his success as a graphic designer. He worked with Richard Dehmel
, Frank Wedekind
, and others.
Geiger lived until 1914 in Berlin
and presented in the gallery. Then he went back to Munich and became a professor at the School of Decorative Arts. He copied paintings by the great Spanish painters Goya, Velasquez, and El Greco
and turned to portrait painting. Geiger's study of El Greco's work is reflected in his portrait of the composer Hans Pfitzner
.
After the seizure of power by the Nazis he was dismissed as a lecturer at the Leipzig Academy. He was politically opposed to the Nazi party, and his artworks were deemed "degenerate" by the authorities. On retirement he continued to paint, and after the war, in 1946 taught again at the College of Fine Arts in Munich. In 1951 Willi Geiger received the Culture Prize of the City of Munich where he lived until his death in 1971.
Willi Geiger's son, Rupprecht Geiger
, also became a well-known artist and professor.
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...
painter
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...
.
The son of a teacher, Willi Geiger was born 1878 in Landshut. From 1898-99 he attended the Munich Arts and Crafts School, and later the Technical University, where he passed the state examination to teach drawing. Willi Geiger studied from 1903 with Franz von Stuck at the Munich Academy, including together with Hans Purrmann
Hans Purrmann
Hans Marsilius Purrmann was a German artist. He was born in Speyer where he also grew up. He completed an apprenticeship as a scene painter and interior decorator, and subsequently studied in Karlsruhe and Munich before going to Paris in 1906. It was here he became a student and later a friend of...
. He was awarded the National prize and the Schack scholarship for some of his early work and he traveled to Spain, Italy, and North Africa. Willi Geiger was awarded the 1910 Villa Romana prize for his success as a graphic designer. He worked with Richard Dehmel
Richard Dehmel
Richard Fedor Leopold Dehmel was a German poet and writer.- Life :...
, Frank Wedekind
Frank Wedekind
Benjamin Franklin Wedekind , usually known as Frank Wedekind, was a German playwright...
, and others.
Geiger lived until 1914 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...
and presented in the gallery. Then he went back to Munich and became a professor at the School of Decorative Arts. He copied paintings by the great Spanish painters Goya, Velasquez, and El Greco
El Greco
El Greco was a painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El Greco" was a nickname, a reference to his ethnic Greek origin, and the artist normally signed his paintings with his full birth name in Greek letters, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος .El Greco was born on Crete, which was at...
and turned to portrait painting. Geiger's study of El Greco's work is reflected in his portrait of the composer Hans Pfitzner
Hans Pfitzner
Hans Erich Pfitzner was a German composer and self-described anti-modernist. His best known work is the post-Romantic opera Palestrina, loosely based on the life of the great sixteenth-century composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.-Biography:Pfitzner was born in Moscow, Russia, where his...
.
After the seizure of power by the Nazis he was dismissed as a lecturer at the Leipzig Academy. He was politically opposed to the Nazi party, and his artworks were deemed "degenerate" by the authorities. On retirement he continued to paint, and after the war, in 1946 taught again at the College of Fine Arts in Munich. In 1951 Willi Geiger received the Culture Prize of the City of Munich where he lived until his death in 1971.
Willi Geiger's son, Rupprecht Geiger
Rupprecht Geiger
Rupprecht Geiger was an abstract painter and sculptor from Munich, Germany. He is perhaps best known for his color field paintings and for his passion for the color red.- Life and work :...
, also became a well-known artist and professor.