Rudolph Karl Alexander Schneider, commonly known as Sascha Schneider (21 September 1870 – 18 August 1927), was a German
painter and
sculptor
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
.
Biography
Schneider was born in
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
in 1870. During his childhood, his family lived in
Zürich
, neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon
, twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco
Z ...
, but following the death of his father, Schneider moved to
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...
, where in 1889 he became a student at the
Dresden Academy of Fine Arts. In 1903, he met best-selling author
Karl May, and subsequently became the cover illustrator of a number of May's books including ''Winnetou'', ''Old Surehand'', ''Am Rio de la Plata''. A year later in 1904, Schneider was appointed
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professo ...
at the ''Großherzoglich-Sächsische Kunstschule Weimar''.
During this period, Schneider lived with painter . Jahn began blackmailing Schneider by threatening to expose his homosexuality, which was punishable under
§ 175 of the penal code. Schneider fled 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 ...
, where
homosexuality
Homosexuality is Romance (love), romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romant ...
was not criminalized at that time. In Italy, Schneider met painter , with whom he traveled through the
Caucasus Mountains
The Caucasus Mountains,
: pronounced
* hy, Կովկասյան լեռներ,
: pronounced
* az, Qafqaz dağları, pronounced
* rus, Кавка́зские го́ры, Kavkázskiye góry, kɐfˈkasːkʲɪje ˈɡorɨ
* tr, Kafkas Dağla ...
. He then traveled back to Germany, where he lived for six months in Leipzig before returning to Italy, where he resided in Florence. When the First World War started, Schneider returned to Germany again, taking up residence in
Hellerau (near
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...
). After 1918, he co-founded an institute called ''Kraft-Kunst'' for bodybuilding. Some of the models for his art trained here.
Schneider, who suffered from
diabetes mellitus
Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...
, suffered a diabetic seizure during a ship voyage in the vicinity of Swinemünde. As a result, he collapsed and died in 1927 in
Swinemünde. He was buried in
Loschwitz Cemetery
Loschwitz Cemetery (german: Loschwitzer Friedhof) is the second burial ground, still in use, of Loschwitz, part of the city of Dresden, Germany, replacing the graveyard of Loschwitz church, no longer used for burials. The cemetery was dedicated in ...
, Germany.
In popular culture
Schneider's painting ''Hypnosis'' (in Gallery below) inspired a key shot in the Robert Eggers film ''
The Lighthouse''.
Works
* ''Mein Gestalten und Bilden''. 1912. autobiography
Exhibitions
*''Sascha Schneider - Ideenmaler & Körperbildner''/"Sascha Schneider - Visualizing ideas through the human body" (2013), Stadtmuseum Weimar
*"Nude in Public: Sascha Schneider - Homoeroticism and the Male Form circa 1900" (2013), Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art
Gallery
File:Anarchist (Schneider).jpg, ''The Anarchist'' (1894)
File:Old Surehand.jpg, Cover illustration for ''Old Surehand'' by Karl May (1904)
File:Winnetou.jpg, Cover illustration for ''Winnetou III'' by Karl May (1904)
Image:Sascha Schneider - Am Rio De La Plata.jpg, Cover illustration for ''Am Rio De La Plata'' by Karl May (1904)
File:Sascha Schneider Ardistan.jpg, Cover illustration for ''Ardistan und Dschinnistan'' by Karl May (1904)
File:Hypnose (Schneider).jpg, ''Hypnosis'' (1904)
File:Friede auf Erden.jpg, ''Peace on Earth'' (1904)
File:Morgendämmerung von Sascha Schneider.jpg, ''Dawn'' (1905)
File:Ikarus (Schneider).jpg, ''Icarus'' (1906)
File:Mondnacht.jpg, ''Moon Night'' (1906)
File:Gymnasion.jpg, ''Gymnasion'' (ca. 1912)
File:Gefühl der Abhängigkeit.jpg, ''Feeling of Dependence'' (1920)
File:Tobias und der Engel.jpg, ''Tobias and the Angel'' (1921)
File:Jüngling im blauen Mantel.jpg, ''Youth in a Blue Coat'' (1921)
File:Mosaik_grabtolkewitz_saschaschneider.jpg, Mosaic at the gravesite of Georg Clages (1894-1920), Urnenhain Tolkewitz, Dresden
Literature
* Hans-Gerd Röder: ''Sascha Schneider - ein Maler für Karl May''. Karl-May-Verlag. Bamberg 1995. 3-7802-0280-8.
* Rolf Günther / Dr. Klaus Hoffmann: ''Sascha Schneider & Karl May — Eine Künstlerfreundschaft''. Karl-May-Stiftung. Radebeul 1989.
* Hansotto Hatzig: ''Karl May und Sascha Schneider. Dokumente einer Freundschaft. "Beiträge zur Karl-May-Forschung"''. Edition 2. Bamberg 1967.
* Annelotte Range: ''Zwischen Max Klinger und Karl May''. Karl-May-Verlag. Bamberg 1999. 3-7802-3007-0.
* Felix Zimmermann: ''Sascha Schneider''. Verlag der Schönheit. Dresden 1924.
* Sascha Schneider: ''Titelzeichnungen zu den Werken Karl Mays''. Verlag von Friedrich Ernst Fehsenfeld. Freiburg. 1905.
References
External links
*
Sascha Schneiderin
German National Library
The German National Library (DNB; german: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to colle ...
Sascha Schneider's grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schneider, Sascha
1870 births
1927 deaths
19th-century German painters
19th-century German male artists
Art Nouveau painters
German male painters
German Symbolist painters
20th-century German painters
20th-century German male artists
Russian male painters
Artists from Dresden
Artists from Zürich
German LGBT artists
Russian LGBT artists
Gay artists