Friedrich Schröder Sonnenstern (born Friedrich Schröder; 11 September 1892 – 10 May 1982), was a German artist and painter. He is considered one of the most important representatives of Art Brut or

Outsider Art Outsider art is art made by self-taught or supposedly naïve artists with typically little or no contact with the conventions of the art worlds. In many cases, their work is discovered only after their deaths. Often, outsider art illustrate ...

Early life

Schröder-Sonnenstern was born in

Tilsit Sovetsk (russian: Сове́тск; german: Tilsit; Old Prussian: ''Tilzi''; lt, Tilžė; pl, Tylża) is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the south bank of the Neman River which forms the border with Lithuania. Geography So ...

, East Prussia (now Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia), one of thirteen children, all of whom apart from one other died shortly after birth. He was sent to a number of reform schools due to accusations of theft and violent behaviour and then to an asylum due to suspected

Dementia praecox Dementia praecox (meaning a "premature dementia" or "precocious madness") is a disused psychiatric diagnosis that originally designated a chronic, deteriorating psychotic disorder characterized by rapid cognitive disintegration, usually beginni ...

. His experiences as a child contributed to his lifelong hatred of authority. He spent time in the army and in a circus before arriving in Berlin in 1919 where he occupied himself with occultism, divination and healing magnetism. He founded a sect and distributed its income in the form of bread rolls to poor children, earning him the title "Schrippenfürst of Schöneberg". He created the name ''Sonnenstern'' (English: Sun Star) for himself while working as a con-artist, posing as a Quack doctor in "natural health", calling himself Professor Dr. Eliot Gnass von Sonnenstern.

Career as an artist

In 1933 in

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...

he met the artist Hans Ralf, who first encouraged him to draw, but it was not until 1942, following spells in prison and a labour camp during

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 opposing ...

that his career as an artist really started. At the Surrealist exposition in Paris in 1959, he was celebrated as one of the most impressive artists of the 20th century and was recognised by

Jean Dubuffet Jean Philippe Arthur Dubuffet (31 July 1901 – 12 May 1985) was a French painter and sculptor. His idealistic approach to aesthetics embraced so-called "low art" and eschewed traditional standards of beauty in favor of what he believed to be a ...

among others. His success was short-lived, and his works became less frequent and eventually, he resorted to employing other people to produce his work for him. He became increasingly dependent on alcohol following the death, in 1964, of his long-time companion, Martha Möller whom he called ''Aunt Martha''. The difference between genius and schizophrenic has been highlighted by extensive research on this enigmatic person by professional psychologist Alfred Bader.Bader, Alfred „Geisteskranker oder Künstler? Der Fall Friedrich Schröder-Sonnenstern“ (Hans Huber, Bern 1972)

Style

Schröder Sonnenstern's paintings depict erotic and often disturbing figures that are part human and part monster, with distorted body parts such as breasts and genitalia. He used coloured pencil over a thin wash of paint to give depth to his line drawings. Notable works include the demonic ''Zynus Theory'' (1953), ''Vitanovaseturine'' (1951-2) and several works on the theme of the

Fall of man The fall of man, the fall of Adam, or simply the Fall, is a term used in Christianity to describe the transition of the first man and woman from a state of innocent obedience to God to a state of guilty disobedience. * * * * The doctrine of the ...

, including ''Uschastelynore'' (1951) and '' The Snake Seduction'' (1955).

Early life

Career as an artist

Style

References

See also