Wilhelm Sauter (1 April 1896 – 27 June 1948) was a German painter, known especially for his portraits of soldiers in both World Wars.

Life and work

He was the only son of Friedrich Sauter; a civil service clerk. After graduating from the local Realschule in 1913, he went to Heidelberg, where he attended the (Teacher's School), with the intention of becoming a drawing teacher. In 1915, he was conscripted and served in an infantry division that was deployed to the front. There, in 1916, near Serre-lès-Puisieux, he was involved in the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

and lost part of his hearing, as the result of a grenade explosion that buried him alive. After a stay in the hospital, he was mustered out and worked at an elementary school in Bruchsal. From 1918 to 1920, he studied at the Badischen Landeskunstschule, under Professors and

Friedrich Fehr Friedrich Eduard Fehr (24 May 1862, Werneck - 29 September 1927, Polling) was a German painter in the Historicist atyle. Biography He was born to Kaspar Fehr, a notary, and his wife Anna. He initially attended the Realgymnasium in Würzb ...

, among others. This was followed by temporary employment at several schools, in Villingen, Bruchsal, Karlsruhe,

Weinheim Weinheim (; pfl, Woinem) is a town with about 43,000 inhabitants in northwest Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is in the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region, approximately north of Heidelberg and northeast of Mannheim. Weinheim is known as the "Zwei ...

, and Ladenburg. With the encouragement of

Hans Thoma Hans Thoma (2 October 1839 – 7 November 1924) was a German painter. Biography Hans Thoma was born on 2 October 1839 in Bernau in the Black Forest, Germany. He was the son of a miller and was trained in the basics of painting by a painter ...

, he held his first exhibition at the . In addition to drawing, he was also a painter and an etcher. From 1924 to 1927, he created six drypoint illustrations for the satirical novel, '' Simplicius Simplicissimus'', by Grimmelshausen. He also did portraits and landscapes but, at that time, was already focusing on the depiction of soldiers. Eventually, his works attracted the attention of the Nazi regime. Although they were never meant to be a glorification of war, the Nazis considered them to be a fine example of brave German soldiers, steeled in battle. The extent to which Sauter sympathized with Nazi ideology, if at all, remains unclear, but he quickly came to terms with the situation. His career was immediately and greatly advanced, with more exposure at exhibitions, such as the "Heroische Kunst" of 1935 in Berlin,Meinrad Schaab, Hansmartin Schwarzmaier (Eds.) ''Handbuch der baden-württembergischen Geschichte'', Vol.4: "Die Länder seit 1918", Kommission für geschichtliche Landeskunde in Baden-Württemberg. Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 2003, the Baden Gaukulturschau of 1937, several of the Große Deutsche Kunstausstellung in Munich, and the Venice Biennale in 1942. During this period, his portrayals became less gloomy and more heroic. A few are specifically targeted at a National Socialist audience. His pictures were acquired by several museums; notably the Wehrgeschichtliches Museum Rastatt. They were also purchased by Adolf Hitler and Fritz Todt. In 1941, he was named a Professor at his alma mater, the Staatliche Akademie in Karlsruhe. He remained there until the end of the war.

Works

* ''Totentanz'' ( Danse macabre) (1917–1918) * ''Grabenposten im Feuer'' (Trench Post under Fire) (1928) * ''Essenholer'' (Food Porter) (1931) * ''Im Laufgraben'' (In the Communication Trench) (1932) * ''Endlose Straße'' (Endless Street) (1934) * ''Der gute Kamerad'' (The Good Comrade) (1934) * ''Wassertrinker'' (Water Drinkers) (1936) * ''Der Bauernführer Joß Fritz'' (The Peasant Leader Joss Fritz) (1937) * ''Kampfzeit'' (Time of Fight) (1937) * ''Die Badischen Grenadiere in der Schlacht bei Cambrai'' (The Baden Grenadiers in the Battle of Cambrai) (1938) * ''Zwei Wege'' (Two Ways) (1939) * ''Der ewige Musketier'' (The Eternal Soldier) (1940) * ''Vormarsch im Westen'' (Advance in the West) (1941) * ''Westfront 1940'' (Western Front 1940) (1941) (former property of Adolf Hitler, now being housed at the

U.S. Army Center of Military History The United States Army Center of Military History (CMH) is a directorate within the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. The Institute of Heraldry remains within the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Arm ...

at Fort Belvoir) * ''Serre (

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...

) 1916'' (ca. 1942) * ''Übergang am Oberrhein'' (Crossing the Upper Rhine) (1942) * ''Verschüttet'' (Buried Alive) * ''Begegnung'' (Encounter) * ''Das Kreuz von Serre'' (The Cross of Serre) * ''Der ewige Musketier'' (The Eternal Soldier) * ''l.M.G.'' (light Machine Gun)Postcards
from the ''Haus der Deutschen Kunst'' in Munich * ''Stoßtrupp'' (

Stormtrooper Stormtrooper or storm trooper may refer to: Military *Stormtroopers (Imperial Germany), specialist soldier of the German Army in World War I *'' Sturmabteilung'' (SA) or Storm Detachment, a paramilitary organization of the German Nazi Party *8th I ...

s) * ''Ums Morgengrauen'' (At Sunrise) * ''Der tote Kamerad'' (The Dead Comrade) * ''Melder'' (Despatch Runner) * ''Das Opfer'' (The Sacrifice) (destroyed during an air raid in 1942) * ''Frontsoldat'' (Front Soldier)

References

External links

Nazi War Art 1940-44
Small gallery that includes ''The Eternal Soldier''

Gallery of war paintings from

Haus der Kunst The ''Haus der Kunst'' (, ''House of Art'') is a non-collecting modern and contemporary art museum in Munich, Germany. It is located at Prinzregentenstraße 1 at the southern edge of the Englischer Garten, Munich's largest park. History Na ...

which includes ''Crossing the Upper Rhine''
''West Front 1940''
in the Army Art Collection, US Army Center of Military History, Museum Support Center {{DEFAULTSORT:Sauter, Wilhelm 20th-century German painters 20th-century German male artists German male painters 1896 births 1948 deaths German war artists World War I artists World War II artists People from the Grand Duchy of Baden Academic staff of the Academy of Fine Arts, Karlsruhe German Army personnel of World War I

Life and work

Works

See also

References

Further reading

External links