Wols , of its true name Alfred Otto Wolfgang Schulze , is an artist German plastics technician , born the May 27th 1913 with Berlin, dead on September 1st 1951 with Paris. Its name of artist and Acronyme is formed of initial the Wol fgang S chulze.
Photographer, painter and graphic designer, near to the Surrealism, Wols are regarded as a pioneer and an important representative of the Tachisme and Informal art in Europe. He lived in France after having fled the mode hitlérien.
Its life
Alfred Otto Wolfgang Schulze was wire of a family of civils servant of Berlin. To advise government, his/her father Alfred Schulze (1878 - 1929), is called in 1919 by the ministerial director and chief of the chancellery of State in the public service of Saxony. With his wife Eva Schulze, born Battmann (1886-1969), and his two children, Elfriede (Schulze-Battmann) and Alfred Otto Wolfgang (Schulze), he moves in 1919 with Dresden. As a representative of the ministry in the council of academy he exerts a considerable influence on the vocation of the artists to the academies of the town of Dresden. He will be portraituré on different occasions in the Années 1920 by artists of Dresden known as Hugo Erfurth (" Dr. Alfred Schulze" , 1927 - 1928, photography) and Otto Ten (" Großstadt" , various techniques on wood, 1927 - 1928, Gallery der Stadt Stuttgart - Ten represented Schulze like saxophone playing a leader on the left in the central part of the triptych. In the culturally interesting parental house are born early for the children from the contacts with artists from Dresden like Ludwig von Hoffmann, Robert Sterl, Conrad Felixmüller and Otto Ten.The youth of Alfred Otto Wolfgang is well documented by a diary not published of his/her mother Eva Schulze (today in the Kupferstichkabinett Dresden, heritage of Elfriede Schulze-Battmann) as well as publications of his/her sister. In 1922 it enters to the traditional college of State Dresden-Neustadt. It yields in 1924 to the zoo of Dresden its extraordinary collection of reproductions of fish and exotic reptiles. Moreover, Alfred Otto Wolfgang obtains in Christmas 1924 its first simple camera, shortly after a small microscope offered. In 1926 the visit of the " Großen Internationalen Kunstausstellung" (great international exposure of works of art) with contemporary modern works and an exposure for the 50e birthday of Paul Klee in Dresden leave a durable impression by the interested parties of the natural science and beautiful-art. In 1927 Alfred Otto Wolfgang receives a teaching of violin in the leader of the vault of State of Dresden, Jan Dahmen and returns to the traditional college " Zum heiligen Kreuz" in Dresden. It is sportivement and musicalement credit until the serious disease of his father in 1928, which dies in 51 years on July 2nd 1929.
This early death starts a heavy shock; in 1930 Alfred Otto Wolfgang leaves the school and receives an private education aiming at the preparation to the baccalaureat, but in spite of good performances the admission with the examination is refused to him by the ministry. He works thereafter in a workshop Mercedes of Dresden and later in a studio of photograph estimated of the Jewish Hungarian woman Genja Jonas, who is known for catches of sights of portrait. He takes part in evenings of conversations of literary men and artists of Dresden like Otto Ten, Will Grohmann, Fritz Löffler, Fritz Bienert, Gret Palucca. On the request of the mother, photographer Hugo Erfurth celebrates it confirms the high quality of the catches of sights of Alfred Otto Wolfgang. After a short stay at the Reimann school with Berlin it goes voluntary in 1932 a few months to the Frobenius-Institute for an ethnology to Francfort-sur-le-Main, where it inventories with enthusiasm the African musical instruments. Already in 1928 it had stopped several weeks in the house of the ethnologist Leo Frobenius, Schulze family friend, with the Lago Maggiore.
July 14th, 1932 Alfred Otto Wolfgang travels with a recommendation of the artist-teacher Bauhaus László Moholy-Nagy to Paris, where it comes to a meeting with the artists Amédée Ozenfant and Fernand Leger. In February 1933 Schulze makes knowledge in Paris of Rumanian the Helene Marguerite Dabija, more known under the name of Gréty , which forms part in collaboration with his/her sister " Gazelle" , of the circle of knowledge of the surrealist . Gréty, in a first choice Marie with the surrealist poet Jacques Baron, and makes known Schulze with Hans Arp, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti and much of other personalities of the Parisian scene of the theater, the literature and the fine arts. The Schulze July 14th, 1933 leaves for the last time to Germany, to regulate businesses of heritage. Sights the political relations modified after the takeover of the Nazis, it decides to turn the back on its fatherland and living in Paris. It will return never again to Germany.
Without work permit, living in Paris under miserable conditions, it decides in October 1933 with Gréty, which works as dressmaker of mode, to emigrate initially with Barcelona then with Mallorca. Its refusal to follow the order of convocation to the service of the obligatory work of Reich brings constantly in the years which follow difficulties with the Spanish and French authorities in Schulze. Without papers, he is regarded as deserter and stateless person what leads on different occasions to arrests by the police force. De Mallorca, Schulze will be established with Gréty in 1934 with Ibiza. He works occasionally as a driver of taxi, guides for foreigners and professor of German. In Spain are born from the photographs, the drawings and the watercolours, of which only one small number was preserved. Probably fine 1935 it is expelled of Spain and is turned over from there on adventurous ways through the the snow-covered Pyrenees towards France… (Spain was used like sector of exodus for much as political emigrants)…
In 1936 Schulze receives with the assistance of Fernand Leger and Georges-Henri Rivière a residence permit limited with obligation of monthly notification to the police force of Paris. Still without work permit, it gains its subsistence with photography. In 1937, it receives the official and lucrative order to document in photographs the Pavillon of Elegance and the Ornament to the World Fair of Paris. It has indeed the exclusive rights. Its unusual photographs of mode and interiors are sold like postcards and are printed in much of international reviews of mode. Its pseudonym " Wols" also comes from this period - an operator must have badly included/understood his name and to have transmitted it reduced in a telegram. From January 30th to February 18th, 1937 its work is exposed for the first time publicly in the gallery of photo fame the Galerie of the Pleiad under the title Photographies by Wolf Schulze . Belong to the artists of the gallery of the famous photographers like: Ilse Bing, Brassaï, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Andre Kertesz, Lee Miller, Man Ray, and Hans Bellmer.
Between 1937 and 1939 Wols works successfully as a photographer of portrait and with Gréty maintains contacts friendly close with actors, authors and Parisian artists in formation, of which it photographs some (stereotyped " black-and-blanc" intensives and strange of Roger Blin, max Ernst, Jacques Prévert and Jacqueline Laurent, of the young singer Mouloudji, Rafael Alberti, the painter Sabine Hettner, the dancer Nina Weichberger and the actresses Sonia Mossé, Nicole Boubant and Susanne Magisson-Borel). Moreover, Wols makes a series of self-portraits, photographs urban and dead natures.
September 3rd 1939, immediately after the release of the second world war, Wols with much of other German will be imprisoned in the Stade of Doves then as a " foreigner ennemi" locked up in various camps of French internment: initially with Neuvy-sur-Barangeon, then with Montargis, then with the Miles close to Aix-en-Provence and finally with Saint Nicolas's Day close to Nimes. At the same time and with Wols, in the briquettery of the Miles were interned inter alia Heinrich Davringhausen, Ernst Engel, max Ernst, Lion Feuchtwanger, Henri Gowa, Walter Hasenclever, Franz Hessel, Alfred Kantorowicz, max Lingner, Willy Maywald, Anton Räderscheidt, max Raphael, Ferdinand Springer, Karl Wilczynski. During this internment, a multitude of drawings and watercolours surrealist are born that the lives with the camp thématisent. October 29th 1940 Wols is released from the camp of internment of the Miles after its marriage carried out little before with Gréty, which was since its marriage with Jacques Baron a French citizen. The historian of art John Rewald makes function of witness to the marriage with the town hall of Aix-en-Provence.
From November 1940 to December 1942 Wols and Gréty live an extremely difficult relation with Cassis close to Marseilles and test, using American Varian Fry and the American Center of Help as well as the writer American Kay Boyle to emigrate in the USA. Fry and Boyle receive from the artist more than one hundred watercolours which must prove in America the artistic quality of Wols, so that it receives the visa of entry. Works are put on sale inter alia at the gallery Betty Parson at New York to support the artist. After the occupation of the part of the south demilitarized of France by the German troops Wols and Gréty must leave Cassis. The visas of voyage arrive too late. During the exodus towards Dieulefit close to Montélimar, many works of Wols are lost. Of 1943 until the end of the war in 1945, the mayor of Dieulefit grants a housing to the couple. During this time, a friendship between Wols and the writer Henri-Pierre Roché - who becomes one of the first collectors of watercolours of Wols - develop. Wols is interested in the writings of William Faulkner, Edgar Allan Poe, Lautréamont, Franz Kafka, Lao-Tseu and Jean-Paul Sartre. In Dieulefit, other watercolours, drawings and sheets of note are born. Wols photographs there again, and starts to paint with oil on small sizes. The increasing dependence with alcohol undermines the health of the artist.
In 1945, of return to Paris, are exposed in the gallery of Rene Drouin for the first time - and against its will - the watercolours of Wols. It binds friendship with Jean-Paul Sartre which thereafter supports the artist as for his financial problems and psychic considerable. Equipped by Drouin with fabrics and oil-base paint, Wols creates in little time more than 40 tables. May 23rd 1947, an exposure of these paintings is organized at Drouin. This exposure shocks the public of Paris and introduces the artist brutally. It takes part in the exposures of outlines to the Salon of New Realities and to Imaginary the (beside works of Hans Arp, Victor Brauner, Camille Bryen, Hans Hartung, Georges Mathieu, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Raoul Ubac) and binds friendship with Jean Paulhan and the Mathieu painter. Beside illustrations of texts of the writers (Jean Paulhan, Jean-Paul Sartre, Franz Kafka and Antonin Artaud) is born an independent graphic work.
Of 1948 with 1950, in spite of a phase of heavy health issues, the temporary separation of with Gréty and the continual changes of residence, other exposures follow to Paris, Milan and New York, which concentrates on the works of Wols created after 1945. Two years a fixed contract with the galerist Pierre Loeb ensures the subsistence of Wols. In 1951, its health condition worsens again. An ignition of the lungs, a cirrhosis of the liver due to a heavy dependence with alcohol and a jaundice force Wols with a hospitalization related to a detoxification therapy. In summer 1951 Wols recovers during a stay with Champigny-sur-Marne and is looked after by Gréty. With fresh forces, Wols works in new tables and watercolours.
In the night of the 24 with the August 25th, it consumes rotting meat. Poisoning starting with a high fever is diagnosed initially like appendicitis and will not be treated. With very weakened bodies already, Wols is transported too late to Paris in a hospital. Seeing itself dying, it is made transfer the August 31st by Gréty to the luxurious hotel from Montalembert, where it dies the next morning. Its corpse is removed by the door of service. The burial of Wols will take place the September 4th 1951 in the Columbarium of the Cimetière of the Father-Lachaise. Of 1955 with 1964, works of Wols were exposed on a purely posthumous basis with the Documenta 1,2 and 3 with Kassel.
Quotation
- “Das Bild kann zur Natur eine Beziehung haben wie die Fuge Bachs zu Christus.
See too
External bonds
- Works of the artist and photographs the representative
- http://www.ifa.de/kunst/wols/dbiografie.htm
- http://dispatch.opac.ddb.de/DB=4.1/REL?PPN=118635093
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