Friedrich Gustav August Julius Philipp Rudolf von Wille, known as Fritz (21 April 1860,
Weimar
Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...
- 16 February 1941,
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...
), was a German landscape painter and art professor; associated with the
Düsseldorf School
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...
.
Biography
He was born into a
Hessian
A Hessian is an inhabitant of the German state of Hesse.
Hessian may also refer to:
Named from the toponym
*Hessian (soldier), eighteenth-century German regiments in service with the British Empire
**Hessian (boot), a style of boot
**Hessian f ...
family that had been raised to the nobility in 1780. His father,
August von Wille, and his mother
Clara
Clara may refer to:
Organizations
* CLARA, Latin American academic computer network organization
* Clara.Net, a European ISP
* Consolidated Land and Rail Australia, a property development consortium
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* Clara (given name), a feminine giv ...
, were both painters. From 1879 to 1882, he attended the
Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
The Kunstakademie Düsseldorf is the academy of fine arts of the state of North Rhine Westphalia at the city of Düsseldorf, Germany. Notable artists who studied or taught at the academy include Joseph Beuys, Gerhard Richter, Magdalena Jetelová, ...
, where he initially studied with
Andreas Müller and
Heinrich Lauenstein
Heinrich Lauenstein (26 September 1835, Hüddessum, near Hildesheim - 16 May 1910, Düsseldorf) was a German painter and art professor; associated with the Düsseldorfer Malerschule. He specialized in portraits, many of them of children, and religi ...
, then took specialized courses from
Peter Janssen. At first, he was heavily influenced by his father's works, and was concerned that the two would become confused; signing his paintings with "Jr.".
In the late 1880s, he made numerous trips throughout Germany. In 1885 and 1886, he visited the
Italian Riviera
The Italian Riviera or Ligurian Riviera ( it, Riviera ligure; lij, Rivêa lìgure) is the narrow coastal strip in Italy which lies between the Ligurian Sea and the mountain chain formed by the Maritime Alps and the Apennines. Longitudinall ...
. His experiences there led to a change in his approach to color, and he came under the influence of
Eugen Dücker
Eugen Gustav Dücker (also ''Eugène Gustav Dücker''; , in Arensburg (now Kuressaare, Estonia) – 6 December 1916, in Düsseldorf) was a Baltic German painter, in the Romantic atyle, associated with the Düsseldorfer Malerschule.
Biograph ...
. In 1886, he also became a member of "
Malkasten
Malkasten (English: "Paintbox") is a progressive German artists' association, founded in Düsseldorf in 1848, during the March Revolution. Since 1867, their headquarters have been in the Pempelfort district.
History
During the unrest in 1848, ...
" (paint box), a progressive artists' association.
His works were generally created by making quick, impressionistic sketches from nature; then turning them into detailed compositions in his studio. His style was largely unaffected by the innovations of the following periods, although some small elements of
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
may be detected. He spent his summer months touring in
Eifel
The Eifel (; lb, Äifel, ) is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Community of ...
.
In 1892, he married Auguste Schneider, the daughter of Otto Schneider, a tobacco merchant, and his wife Maria. They had two sons; Otto (1901-1977), who also became a painter, and Fritz Jr. (1903-1972). After 1899, he and his family had a second home in Eifel. He was given the title of Professor in 1910, but did no teaching. In 1911, he had become sufficiently successful to acquire
Kerpen Castle, where he took up permanent residence. That same year,
Kaiser Wilhelm II
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and List of monarchs of Prussia, King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication on 9 ...
awarded him the
Order of the Red Eagle
The Order of the Red Eagle (german: Roter Adlerorden) was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful se ...
. During
World War I
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 ...
, he served as an "
Offiziersstellvertreter
Offiziersstellvertreter, short OStv ( en: ''Officer deputy''), is a rank of the higher non-commissioned officers rank group (also staff NCO group) in the Austrian Bundesheer and Imperial German Army.
;See also
Ranks of the Austrian Bundesheer
...
" in
Nivelles
Nivelles (; nl, Nijvel, ; wa, Nivele; vls, Neyvel) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. The Nivelles municipality includes the former municipalities of Baulers, Bornival, Thines, and Monstre ...
.
Following the war, his works declined in quality, and he made much of his living from reproducing earlier ones. During the runaway inflation of the 1920s, he lost most of his fortune. At the beginning of the 1930s, he made an attempt to adapt to changing tastes, but was only moderately successful. He died in his studio in 1941.
The largest collection of his works is held by the "Fritz-von-Wille-Museum", at the Beda House cultural center in
Bitburg
Bitburg (; french: Bitbourg; lb, Béibreg) is a city in Germany, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate approximately 25 km (16 mi.) northwest of Trier and 50 km (31 mi.) northeast of Luxembourg city. The American Spangdahlem ...
. Streets have been named after him in Düsseldorf,
Trier
Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...
and Kerpen.
Selected paintings
File:Fritz von Wille Eifellandschaft.jpg, Eifel Landscape
File:Fritz von Wille Eifellandschaft mit Blick auf die Nürburg.jpg, Eifel Landscape
with View of Nürburg
Nürburg () is a town in the Germany, German district of Ahrweiler (district), Ahrweiler, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is also the name of the local castle, Nürburg Castle, which was built in the High Middle Ages. The name is derived ...
File:Fritz von Wille Frühling in der Eifel.jpg, Spring in Eifel
File:Fritz von Wille Winter in Bewingen.jpg, Winter in Bewingen
Gerolstein () is a town in the Vulkaneifel district of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Gerolstein is a local municipality of the ''Verbandsgemeinde Gerolstein''. It has been approved as a '' Luftkurort'' (spa town).
History
As early as the Sto ...
File:Wille Dünen von Sylt@Albert König Museum20160904.jpg, The Dunes at Sylt
Sylt (; da, Sild; Sylt North Frisian, Söl'ring North Frisian: ) is an island in northern Germany, part of Nordfriesland district, Schleswig-Holstein, and well known for the distinctive shape of its shoreline. It belongs to the North Frisian ...
Sources
* Alfred Kirfel: "Fritz von Wille – Maler der Eifel". In: ''Jahrbuch des Kreises Schleiden 1972''. pp.27–33.
* Otto Baur, Alfred Kirfel, Margot Klütsch, Dirk Kocks and Heinz Ladendorf: ''Fritz v. Wille, der Maler der Eifel''. Exhibition catalog, Daun 1979.
* Margot Klütsch: "Fritz von Wille, Werk und Wirkung", In: Conrad Peter Joist (Ed.): ''Landschaftsmaler der Eifel im 20. Jahrhundert''. Düren 1997, pp.9–24.
* Margot Klütsch: "Wille, Fritz von", In: Hans Paffrath (Ed.): ''Lexikon der Düsseldorfer Malerschule 1819–1918.'' Vol.3: ''Nabert–Zwecker'', Bruckmann,
External links
Biography, paintings and exhibits@ Eifel und Kunst
@ the Beda House
*
More works by Wille@ ArtNet
Fritz von Wille@ the Rheinland-Pfälzische Personendatenbank
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wille, Fritz von
1860 births
1941 deaths
German landscape painters
Kunstakademie Düsseldorf alumni
Düsseldorf school of painting
Artists from Weimar