John Gleich (2 November 1879, Memel – c. 1927) was a

Baltic-German Baltic Germans (german: Deutsch-Balten or , later ) were Germans, ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their coerced resettlement in 1939, Baltic Germans have markedly ...

merchant, painter and publicist; best known for

Oriental The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of ''Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the ...

and maritime scenes.

Life and work

After completing his education, he worked as a merchant but, in his spare time, taught himself how to paint. After 1906, he devoted himself exclusively to painting. From 1909 to 1910, he took study trips to India and

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, where he created Orientalist works. Back in Europe, he lived in Berlin; specializing in

marine art Marine art or maritime art is a form of figurative art (that is, painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture) that portrays or draws its main Sea in culture, inspiration from the sea. Maritime painting is a genre that depicts ships and the sea� ...

, but also painting

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

scenes, portraits and nudes, many in Oriental style. 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 ...

, in 1915, he designed two coloring books for children, on the combat operations of the

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Wilhel ...

, both published by Maier, Ravensburg: * ''Der Seekrieg. Ein Malbuch für die deutsche Jugend'' (The Sea War, ''Maier's Künstlermalbücher'' Nr. 683). * ''Unsere Marine im Kampf. Ein Malbuch für die deutsche Jugend'' (Our Navy in Battle, ''Maier's Künstlermalbücher'' Nr. 682) He also published several essays on

Indian architecture Indian architecture is rooted in its history, culture and religion. Among a number of architectural styles and traditions, the best-known include the many varieties of Hindu temple architecture, Indo-Islamic architecture, especially Mughal ...

in the ''

Deutsche Bauzeitung ''Deutsche Bauzeitung'' (stylized as ''db deutsche bauzeitung'') is the oldest technical architecture publication periodical in Germany. The magazine was established in 1867. Its headquarters is in Leinfelden-Echterdingen. The publisher is Konrad ...

'', and in the various publications of the Deutsche Burgenvereinigung.

Sources

* "Gleich, John". In: Ulrich Thieme, Fred. C. Willis (Eds.): ''Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart'', Vol.14: Giddens–Gress. E. A. Seemann, Leipzig 1921, pg.24
Online
* Christiane Kruse: "Gleich, John". In: ''Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon''. Die Bildenden Künstler aller Zeiten und Völker (AKL). Vol.56, Saur, Munich 2007, , pg.116

External links

More works by Gleich
@ ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Gleich, John 1879 births 1920s deaths 19th-century German painters 19th-century German male artists German orientalists German marine artists Baltic-German people People from Klaipėda 20th-century German painters 20th-century German male artists