Johann Adolf Rettelbusch (15 December 1858,

Kammerforst Kammerforst is a municipality in the Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis district of Thuringia, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after ...

– 8 January 1934,

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river. Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebur ...

) was a German

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

. He was nicknamed the ''Brockenmaler'', after

Brocken The Brocken, also sometimes referred to as the Blocksberg, is the highest peak in the Harz mountain range and also the highest peak in Northern Germany; it is near Schierke in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt between the rivers Weser and Elbe. ...

, a peak in the

Harz mountains The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...

, which became a major focus of his work after he took a trip there in 1888.Ausflugziele im Harz: Biography
/ref>

Life

Rettelbusch was the eighth child born to a family of

innkeeper Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accomm ...

s. After attending the local schools, he went to the

Weimar Saxon-Grand Ducal Art School The Grand-Ducal Saxon Art School, Weimar (German:Großherzoglich-Sächsische Kunstschule Weimar) was founded on 1 October 1860, in Weimar, Germany, by a decree of Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. It existed until 1910, when i ...

in 1878. Theodor Hagen and

Alexander Struys Alexander Theodore Honoré Struys (24 January 1852, Berchem – 25 March 1941, Uccle) was a Belgian genre and portrait painter in the Realistic style. Biography Struys' father (originally from Holland) was a master glass painter. At the age of s ...

were among his teachers. After trying several styles, he decided to devote himself to landscape painting. Before graduating, however, he had to quit school for financial reasons. In 1880 and 1881, he took lessons to pass the drawing teacher exams with

Karl Gussow Karl Gussow (25 February 1843, Havelberg – 27 March 1907, Munich) was a German painter and university professor. Life and work His early inclination to art was encouraged by his family so, as soon as he completed his secondary schooling, he wa ...

at the

Prussian Academy of Arts The Prussian Academy of Arts (German: ''Preußische Akademie der Künste'') was a state arts academy first established in Berlin, Brandenburg, in 1694/1696 by prince-elector Frederick III, in personal union Duke Frederick I of Prussia, and late ...

. Despite this, he remained unemployed. Returning to Kammerforst, he supported himself with an occasional odd job. In 1883, he was able to study at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Berlin, thanks to a generous stipend from Max Friedrich Koch and

Ernst Ewald Ernst Deodat Paul-Ferdinand Ewald (17 March 1836 in Berlin – 30 December 1904 in Berlin) was a German painter. Life He came from a banking family and attended the University of Bonn, where he studied medicine and the natural sciences. ...

. He acquired skills in landscape, portrait, and decorative painting, receiving several awards. In 1886 and 1887, he took a study trip to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. The drawings and watercolors he made there led to a job offer from the Prussian Ministry of Trade and Industry, teaching decorative painting at the new arts and crafts school in

. He began work in 1887 and later became vice-rector under the engineer . By 1892, he was Acting Manager of the school.Gerd Kley über Eduard Spieß in the ''

Magdeburger Biographisches Lexikon The ''Magdeburger Biographische Lexikon'' (short ''MBL'') is a specialized dictionary for biographies related to the city of Magdeburg and the surrounding districts of Börde, Jerichower Land, and the former Schönebeck Land. It is the definitiv ...

'', 2002, page 694 In 1906, he was appointed a Professor and remained there until his retirement in 1924. He was also involved in the cultural life of Magdeburg. In 1893, he founded the Artists' Association of St. Luke and was its president for many years. Nine years later, he founded the Artists' Association of

Börde A ''börde'' (plural: ''börden'') is a region of highly fertile lowland in North Germany, a "fertile plain". These landscapes often cover great areas and are particularly important for arable farming on account of their rich soils. These region ...

(a region in Northern Germany).University of Magdeburg: Biography
/ref> He was an active member of the

Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered ...

. A street in Magdeburg is named after him. Grusonwerk-krupp stahlgiesserei

Work

Although he is primarily known as a landscape painter, his over 4,000 canvases dealt in a wide variety of subjects, including the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and the Krupp-Gruson armaments factory. Every year, he produced a series of Brocken-related postcards. Hundreds of his works are in private collections, and many were destroyed in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, but a large selection may be seen at the Magdeburg Cultural History Museum and the Rennstieg-Hotel in Kammerforst, which is still operated by the Rettelbusch family.

References

External links

*
Wernigerode-Tourismus: ''Vom Hainich zum Brocken'', book review, with three paintings.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rettelbusch, Adolf 1858 births 1934 deaths People from Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis People from the Province of Saxony German landscape painters 19th-century German painters German male painters 20th-century German painters 20th-century German male artists Prussian Academy of Arts alumni 19th-century German male artists

Life

Work

References

Further reading

External links