Wols
Encyclopedia
Wols was the pseudonym
of Alfred Otto Wolfgang Schulze (May 27, 1913- September 1, 1951), a German painter
and photographer predominantly active in France.
Noted for his etchings and for his use of stains (taches) of color dabbed onto the canvas (as exemplified by his painting Composition, c. 1950), Wols pioneered a new style of expressive abstraction. Though unrecognized in his lifetime, he is considered one of the most influential artists of the Tachisme
movement.
The quotation To see, it is not necessary to know anything,...except how to see is attributed to him.
. In 1919, the family moved to Dresden
. In 1924, Schulze was given a still camera
, an event that, along with the death of his father in 1929, became one of the defining moments of his life.
After abandoning school, Schulze pursued several interests, including ethnography
before moving to Paris on 1932 on the advice of László Moholy-Nagy
. After visiting Germany in 1933, he decided not to return, instead traveling to Barcelona
, Majorca, and Ibiza
, where he worked odd jobs, including a stint as a taxicab driver and a German tutor.
In 1936, he received official permission to live in Paris with the help of Fernand Léger
; as an army deserter
, Schulze had to report to the Paris police on a monthly basis. Beginning in 1937, he actively worked on his photographs, which were shown in many of Paris's most prestigious galleries. He befriended luminaries of the period, including Max Ernst
and Jacques Prévert
. As a German national, Schulze (like Ernst) was interned at the start of World War II, but was released by 1940. He spent most of the war trying to emigrate
to the United States, an unsuccessful and costly enterprise that may have driven him to alcoholism
.
In the years following the war, Schulze concentrated on painting and etching
. His health declined severely towards the end of the 1940s; in 1951 he died of food poisoning (ironically, he had just been released from a hospital).
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of Alfred Otto Wolfgang Schulze (May 27, 1913- September 1, 1951), a German 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...
and photographer predominantly active in France.
Noted for his etchings and for his use of stains (taches) of color dabbed onto the canvas (as exemplified by his painting Composition, c. 1950), Wols pioneered a new style of expressive abstraction. Though unrecognized in his lifetime, he is considered one of the most influential artists of the Tachisme
Tachisme
Tachisme is a French style of abstract painting popular in the 1940s and 1950s. It is often considered to be the European equivalent to abstract expressionism...
movement.
The quotation To see, it is not necessary to know anything,...except how to see is attributed to him.
Biography
Alfred Otto Wolfgang Schulze was born in Berlin in 1913 into a wealthy family; his father was a high-ranking civil servant and patron of the arts who maintained friendships with many prominent artists of the period, including Otto DixOtto 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...
. In 1919, the family moved 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....
. In 1924, Schulze was given a still camera
Still camera
A still camera is a type of camera used to take photographs. Traditional cameras capture light onto photographic film. Digital cameras use electronics, usually a charge coupled device to store digital images in computer memory inside the camera...
, an event that, along with the death of his father in 1929, became one of the defining moments of his life.
After abandoning school, Schulze pursued several interests, including ethnography
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
before moving to Paris on 1932 on the advice of László Moholy-Nagy
László Moholy-Nagy
László Moholy-Nagy was a Hungarian painter and photographer as well as professor in the Bauhaus school. He was highly influenced by constructivism and a strong advocate of the integration of technology and industry into the arts.-Early life:...
. After visiting Germany in 1933, he decided not to return, instead traveling to Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Majorca, and Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
, where he worked odd jobs, including a stint as a taxicab driver and a German tutor.
In 1936, he received official permission to live in Paris with the help of Fernand Léger
Fernand Léger
Joseph Fernand Henri Léger was a French painter, sculptor, and filmmaker. In his early works he created a personal form of Cubism which he gradually modified into a more figurative, populist style...
; as an army deserter
Desertion
In military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning...
, Schulze had to report to the Paris police on a monthly basis. Beginning in 1937, he actively worked on his photographs, which were shown in many of Paris's most prestigious galleries. He befriended luminaries of the period, including Max Ernst
Max Ernst
Max Ernst was a German painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was one of the primary pioneers of the Dada movement and Surrealism.-Early life:...
and Jacques Prévert
Jacques Prévert
Jacques Prévert was a French poet and screenwriter. His poems became and remain very popular in the French-speaking world, particularly in schools. Some of the movies he wrote are extremely well regarded, with Les Enfants du Paradis considered one of the greatest films of all time.-Life and...
. As a German national, Schulze (like Ernst) was interned at the start of World War II, but was released by 1940. He spent most of the war trying to emigrate
Emigrate
Emigrate is a heavy metal band based in New York, led by Richard Z. Kruspe, the lead guitarist of the German band Rammstein.-History:Kruspe started the band in 2005, when Rammstein decided to take a year off from touring and recording...
to the United States, an unsuccessful and costly enterprise that may have driven him to alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
.
In the years following the war, Schulze concentrated on painting and etching
Etching
Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal...
. His health declined severely towards the end of the 1940s; in 1951 he died of food poisoning (ironically, he had just been released from a hospital).
External links
- Wols Etchings at the Tate http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ArtistWorks?cgroupid=999999961&artistid=2164
- Wols online