![1882 Selbstportrait](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/1882_Selbstportrait.jpg)
Christian Wilhelm Allers (6 August 1857 – 19 October 1915) was a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
painter and
printmaker.
Biography
![Selbstportrait2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Selbstportrait2.jpg)
Allers, the son of a merchant, was born in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
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, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
. He first worked as a
lithographer
Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...
, and in 1877 he moved to Karlsruhe where he continued to work as a lithographer. In the Kunstakademie (state academy of fine arts) he was a scholar of Prof. Ferdinand Keller.
From 1880–81 he served in the
German navy
The German Navy (, ) is the navy of Germany and part of the unified ''Bundeswehr'' (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Mari ...
in
Kiel
Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021).
Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...
where
Anton Alexander von Werner supported him. In Kiel he got to know
Klaus Groth
Klaus Groth (24 April 1819 – 1 June 1899) was a Low German poet.
Biography
Groth was born in Heide, in Ditmarschen, the western part of the Duchy of Holstein. He was the oldest son of Hartwig Groth, a miller, and his wife Anna Christina. He ...
, who became a friend of his.
Allers became well known when he published his collection of prints "Club Eintracht" in 1888. Several other books and maps (collections of prints) followed, by way of example
Bismarck, so at the beginning of the 1890s he was able to build a villa on
Capri. He lived there for many years, also spending some time in Hamburg,
Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...
, and travelling around the world.
In autumn 1902, there was a scandal.
Friedrich Alfred Krupp
Friedrich Alfred Krupp (17 February 1854 – 22 November 1902) was a German steel manufacturer and head of the company Krupp. He was the son of Alfred Krupp and inherited the family business when his father died in 1887. Whereas his father had ...
, another famous person living in Capri, was accused by some Italian newspapers of
homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...
and
pederasty
Pederasty or paederasty ( or ) is a sexual relationship between an adult man and a pubescent or adolescent boy. The term ''pederasty'' is primarily used to refer to historical practices of certain cultures, particularly ancient Greece and an ...
. Some weeks later, Allers was accused, by court. Krupp died some weeks later, presumably a
suicide. Allers managed to escape before the lawsuit began, which led to a sentence of 4½ years imprisonment, pronounced
''in absentia''. According to Tito Fiorani,
[''Le dimore del mito,'' La Conchiglia, Capri 1996, pp. 23 e 24] "Allers had distinctly homosexual tendencies, and liked to surround himself with boys, whom he often used as models".
Allers left Capri and began travelling around the world for more than 10 years, staying some time in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
,
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...
, and
Australia. During this time, he often used the pseudonym "W. Andresen", and earned money by making portraits of wealthy people. He died in 1915 in
Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...
some months after returning to Germany.
Arts
Allers was a
naturalist. His drawings are rich in detail and are of realistic style, so they often lack emotions.
Although the drawings look realistic, Allers sometimes added persons to scenes who were never at that location.
In this respect, he was not a
realist.
Technically, Allers often used pencil.
To start with, his colored drawings were usually in pencil and were colored later (pastel, oil, ...).
His subjects were:
* Everyday life scenes (e.g. Club Eintracht, Spreeathener, Hochzeitsreise)
* Travel reports (e.g. La Bella Napoli, Rund um die Welt, Unter deutscher Flagge)
* Portraits
Books and collections of prints
# 1885 ''Aus Kamerun. Ein Bilderbuch für kleine und große Kinder.''
# 1887 ''Hinter den Coulissen des Circus Renz''
# 1887 ''Hamburger Bilder''
# 1887 ''The Mikado''
# 1888 ''Club Eintracht - Eine Sommerfahrt''
# 1889 ''Eine Hochzeitsreise durch die Schweiz''
# 1889 ''Spreeathener. Berliner Bilder''
# 1890 ''Die Meininger''
# 1890 ''Die silberne Hochzeit''
# 1891 ''Unsere Marine''
# 1891 ''Backschisch''
# 1892 ''Capri''
# 1892 ''Fürst Bismarck in Friedrichsruh''
# 1893 ''La bella Napoli''
# 1895 ''Unser Bismarck''
# 1896 ''Hochzeitsreise nach Italien''
# 1898 ''Das deutsche Jägerbuch''
# 1898 ''Rund um die Erde''
# 1898 ''Unser Bismarck. Gedächtnis-Ausgabe''
# 1900 ''Unter deutscher Flagge''
# 1902 ''Das deutsche Corpsleben''
Some drawings and paintings
File:Allers 1894 Selbstportrait.jpg, Self portrait (1894)
File:Allers_Spree_Berlin (Brandenburger Tor).jpg, Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
(near the Brandenburg Gate, 1889)
File:Allers_Marine_Academieball.jpg, Preparing for a navy academy festival
File:Allers_Marine_Knorr.jpg, Vice admiral Eduard von Knorr
Ernst Wilhelm Eduard von Knorr (8 March 1840 – 17 February 1920) was a German admiral of the Kaiserliche Marine who helped establish the German colonial empire.
Life
Born in Saarlouis, Rhenish Prussia, Knorr entered the Prussian Navy i ...
File:Allers_Napoli_116_Ischia (Fungo).jpg, Harbour of Lacco Ameno (Ischia
Ischia ( , , ) is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples, about from Naples. It is the largest of the Phlegrean Islands. Roughly trapezoidal in shape, it measures approximately east to west ...
, Italy)
File:Allers_Napoli_135_Pompei.jpg, Pompei: 'Oh the poor poor dog'
File:Allers_Wieder_daheim (Capri, Villa Allers).jpg, Capri, Villa Allers
File:Allers_Ganymed.jpg, Ganymede (1913, signed as 'W.Andresen')
See also
*
List of German painters
This is a list of German painters.
A
> second column was into info box -->
* Hans von Aachen (1552–1615)
* Aatifi (born 1965)
* Karl Abt (1899–1985)
* Tomma Abts (born 1967)
* Andreas Achenbach (1815–1910)
* Oswald Achenbach (1827 ...
References
External links
German homepage about C.W.Allers, with additional images and a list of museums
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allers, Christian Wilhelm
1857 births
1915 deaths
German draughtsmen
19th-century German painters
German male painters
20th-century German painters
20th-century German male artists
LGBT artists from Germany
Artists from Hamburg
Capri, Campania
20th-century German printmakers
19th-century German male artists