The Grand-Ducal Saxon Art School, Weimar (German:Großherzoglich-Sächsische Kunstschule Weimar) was founded on 1 October 1860, in

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 ...

, Germany, by a decree of

Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach , image = Held Carl Alexander Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach@Weimar Schlossmuseum.jpg , image_size = , caption = , succession = Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach , reign = 8 July 1853 – 5 January 1901 , predecessor = ...

. It existed until 1910, when it merged with several other art schools to become the ''Großherzoglich Sächsische Hochschule für Bildende Kunst'' ("Grand-Ducal Saxon School for Fine Arts"). It should not be confused with the Weimar Princely Free Drawing School, which existed from 1776 to 1930 and, after 1860, served as a preparatory school.

History

From 1870 to 1900, the students and teachers of the school turned away from the academic tradition of idealized compositions. Inspired by the

Barbizon School The Barbizon school of painters were part of an art movement towards Realism in art, which arose in the context of the dominant Romantic Movement of the time. The Barbizon school was active roughly from 1830 through 1870. It takes its name ...

, they went directly to nature for their inspiration, in

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 f ...

as well as landscape painting. This approach set the school apart and attracted attention throughout Europe.

Grand-Ducal Saxon School for Fine Arts, Weimar

In 1910,

William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Wilhelm Ernst Karl Alexander Friedrich Heinrich Bernhard Albert Georg Hermann, '' en, William Ernest Charles Alexander Frederick Henry Bernard Albert George Herman''; 10 June 1876 – 24 April 19 ...

, in cooperation with

Hans Olde Johannes Wilhelm (Hans) Olde (27 April 1855, Süderau – 25 October 1917, Kassel) was a German painter and art school administrator. Life He originally planned to follow family tradition and become a farmer but, over his father's strong o ...

(Director of the Art School),

Adolf Brütt Adolf Brütt (10 May 1855 in Husum – 6 November 1939 in Bad Berka)Husum Tourismus ...

(Director of the Sculpture School) and

Henry van de Velde Henry Clemens van de Velde (; 3 April 1863 – 15 October 1957) was a Belgian painter, architect, interior designer, and art theorist. Together with Victor Horta and Paul Hankar, he is considered one of the founders of Art Nouveau in Belgium.' ...

(Director of the School of Arts & Crafts), joined the three schools to create the ''Großherzoglich Sächsische Hochschule für Bildende Kunst'' ("Grand-Ducal Saxon School for Fine Arts"), headed by

Fritz Mackensen Fritz Mackensen (born 8 April 1866 in Greene, near Kreiensen, Duchy of Brunswick – 12 May 1953 in Bremen) was a German painter of the Düsseldorf school of painting and Art Nouveau. He was a friend of Otto Modersohn and Hans am Ende, an ...

Building

The

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 ...

art school building, designed by Henry van de Velde, was built between 1904 and 1911.Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. Main Building
Retrieved 17 January 2019 Of particular note in the building's interior are the Oberlichtsaal (skylight hall), the elliptical staircase and the statue of Eve by

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...

. From 1919-1925 this building, and the neighbouring former ''Grand-Ducal Saxon School of Arts and Crafts'' building (built 1905-1906), also designed by van de Velde, were used by the

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 20 ...

art school, which was founded by

Walter Gropius Walter Adolph Georg Gropius (18 May 1883 – 5 July 1969) was a German-American architect and founder of the Bauhaus School, who, along with Alvar Aalto, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, is widely regarded as one ...

. In 1996 both van de Velde buildings on the site, which are now used by the

Bauhaus University Weimar The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is a university located in Weimar, Germany, and specializes in the artistic and technical fields. Established in 1860 as the Great Ducal Saxon Art School, it gained collegiate status on 3 June 1910. In 1919 the sc ...

, were included as part of the

Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar, Dessau and Bernau Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar, Dessau and Bernau is a World Heritage Site in Germany, comprising six separate sites which are associated with the Bauhaus art school. It was designated in 1996 with four initial sites, and in 2017 two further si ...

World Heritage site.Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. History
Retrieved 17 February 2019

Associated people

Directors and lecturers

By date of appointment.

Notable students

* Carl Arp,

Hans Arp Hans Peter Wilhelm Arp (16 September 1886 – 7 June 1966), better known as Jean Arp in English, was a German-French sculptor, painter, and poet. He was known as a Dadaist and an abstract artist. Early life Arp was born in Straßburg (now Str ...

, Paul Baum,

Max Beckmann Max Carl Friedrich Beckmann (February 12, 1884 – December 27, 1950) was a German painter, draftsman, printmaker, sculptor, and writer. Although he is classified as an Expressionist artist, he rejected both the term and the movement. In the 1920s ...

Ella Bergmann-Michel Ella Bergmann-Michel (20 October 1896 – 8 August 1971) was a German abstract artist, photographer and documentary filmmaker. An early student of constructivist art in Germany, her contributions to modern abstract art are often forgotten in Ame ...

, , Ferdinand Brütt, Karl Buchholz, Julius Victor Carstens, Paul Eduard Crodel, Hans Delbrück, Mathilde Freiin von Freytag-Loringhoven, Ludwig von Gleichen-Rußwurm,

Karl Gussow Karl Gussow (25 February 1843, Havelberg – 27 March 1907, Munich) was a German painter and university professor. Life and work His early inclination to art was encouraged by his family so, as soon as he completed his secondary schooling, he w ...

, August Haake,

Wilhelm Hasemann Wilhelm Hasemann (16 September 1850, Mühlberg - 28 November 1913, Gutach) was a German genre painter and illustrator. Life and career Hasemann was the only son of a mechanic and left school at the age of fifteen to work in his father's sh ...

, , Rudolf Höckner, Otto Illies,

Leopold Graf von Kalckreuth :' Leopold Karl Walter Graf von Kalkreuth (15 May 1855 – 1 December 1928) was a German painter, known for portraits and landscapes. Biography A direct descendant of field-marshal Friedrich Adolf Graf von Kalckreuth, Leopold was born at Düsse ...

, Otto von Kameke, ,

Max Liebermann Max Liebermann (20 July 1847 – 8 February 1935) was a German painter and printmaker, and one of the leading proponents of Impressionism in Germany and continental Europe. In addition to his activity as an artist, he also assembled an important ...

, , Carl Malchin,

Carlo Mense Carlo Mense (May 13, 1886 – August 11, 1965) was a German artist, associated at various times with the Düsseldorf school of painting, Rhenish Expressionism and New Objectivity. Mense was born in Rheine. He studied with Peter Janssen at the ...

, , ,

Alexander Olbricht Alexander Gustav Georg Olbricht (6 June 1876, Breslau - 11 November 1942, Weimar) was a German artist. He created approximately 2,000 graphics, engravings, silhouettes and oil paintings. Biography His father, Gustav Olbricht (1851–1892) was ...

Otto Piltz Otto Piltz (28 June 1846, Allstedt - 20 August 1910, Pasing) was a German genre painter and illustrator for ''Die Gartenlaube''. Life He was the son of a soap-maker. After an apprenticeship as a decorative painter in Halle, he studied at the ...

Leon Pohle Friedrich Leon Pohle (1 December 1841, Leipzig – 27 February 1908, Dresden) was a German painter. He is mostly known for his portraits. Life and work Pohle began attending the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts when he was only fifteen years old. In ...

, Harriet von Rathlef-Keilmann,

Adolf Rettelbusch Johann Adolf Rettelbusch (15 December 1858, Kammerforst – 8 January 1934, Magdeburg) was a German painter. He was nicknamed the ''Brockenmaler'', after Brocken, a peak in the Harz mountains, which became a major focus of his work after he took ...

Carl Rodeck Carl Rodeck (13 September 1841 – 14 April 1909) was a German landscape, marine and portrait painter. Early life and education His father was a lithographer and, in 1842, his family moved to Hamburg to open their own shop. From 1863 to 1866 ...

Christian Rohlfs Christian Rohlfs (November 22, 1849 – January 8, 1938) was a German painter and printmaker, one of the important representatives of German expressionism. Early life and education He was born in Groß Niendorf, Kreis Segeberg in Prussia ...

Paul Thumann Friedrich Paul Thumann (5 October 1834, Groß Schacksdorf-Simmersdorf – 19 February 1908, Berlin) was a German illustrator and painter. Life He was the son of a teacher. Originally, he intended to take up a career in science and attended ...

, Minna Beckmann-Tube, Eduard Weichberger, ,

Adolf Ziegler Adolf Ziegler (16 October 1892 – 11 September 1959) was a German painter and politician. He was tasked by the Nazi Party to oversee the purging of what the Party described as "degenerate art", by most of the German modern artists. He was Hi ...

Irma Stern Irma Stern (2 October 1894 – 23 August 1966) was a major South African artist who achieved national and international recognition in her lifetime. Life Stern was born in Schweizer-Reneke, a small town in the Transvaal, of German-Jewish par ...

Bibliography

* Walther Scheidig: ''Die Weimarer Malerschule.'' Seemann, Leipzig 1991, . * Hendrik Ziegler: ''Die Kunst der Weimarer Malerschule. Von der Pleinairmalerei zum Impressionismus.'' Böhlau, Köln, Weimar, Wien 2001, . * Gerda Wendemann et al.:'' Hinaus in die Natur: Barbizon, die Weimarer Malerschule und der Aufbruch zum Impressionismus''. Christoph Kerber Verlag, Bielefeld 2010, . * Jutta Hülsewig-Johnen, Thomas Kellein: ''Der Deutsche Impressionismus''. DuMont-Buchverlag, Köln 2009, . * Renate Müller-Krumbach, Karl Schawelka, Norbert Korrek, Gerwin Zohlen: ''Die Belebung des Stoffes durch die Form. Van de Veldes Hochschulbau in Weimar.'' Verlag der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Weimar 2002, . * Silke Opitz (Hrsg.): ''Van de Veldes Kunstschulbauten in Weimar. Architektur und Ausstattung.'' Verlag der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Weimar 2004, . * Michael Eckhardt (Hrsg.): ''Bauhaus-Spaziergang. In Weimar unterwegs auf den Spuren des frühen Bauhauses.'' Verlag der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Weimar 2009, . * Frank Simon-Ritz, Klaus-Jürgen Winkler, Gerd Zimmermann (Hrsg.): ''Aber wir sind! Wir wollen! Und wir schaffen! Von der Großherzoglichen Kunstschule zur Bauhaus-Universität. '' Verlag der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Weimar 2010, . * Schlenker, Sabine (2007): ''Mit dem Talent der Augen. Der Kunstkritiker Emil Heilbut (1861-1921)'' Ein Streiter für die moderne Kunst im Deutschen Kaiserreich, VDG-Verlag Weimar, . * Müllerschön, Bernd und Maier, Thomas (2002): ''Die Maler der Schule von Barbizon – Wegbereiter des Impressionismus'', Ed. Thombe, . * Stapf, Peter (2014): ''Der Maler Max Thedy 1858–1924'', Böhlau Verlag Köln∙Weimar∙Wien, . *Fuß, Rowena (2013): ''Christian Rohlfs in Weimar: Das Frühwerk: 1870-1901 (Vorreiter ohne Vorbild)'', VDG-Verlag Weimar, . * Plaul, Jens M. (2009): ''Max Oehler: Auf den Spuren eines Landschaftsmalers in Nachfolge der Weimarer Malerschule'', 2. Auflage, Arbeitskreis Stadtgeschichte Blankenhain, * Merseburger, Peter (2013): Mythos Weimar: ''Zwischen Geist und Macht'', Pantheon Verlag München, . *Häder, Ulf (1999): ''Der Jungbrunnen für die Malerei, Holland und die deutsche Kunst 1850–1900'', page 168–171 and 286. Jena. * Mai, Ekkehard (2010): ''Die Deutschen Kunstakademien im 19. Jahrhundert'', Künstlerausbildung zwischen Tradition und Avantgarde, Böhlau Verlag Köln Weimar Wien, . * Whitford, Frank (1984): ''Bauhaus (World of Art)'', Thames and Hudson Ltd., London, * Seemann, E.A. (2000): ''Karl Buchholz, 1849-1889: Ein Künstler der Weimarer Malerschule'', Seemann-Verlag, . * Dauer, Horst (1983): ''Die Weimarer Malerschule'', Leipzig, Seemann-Verlag, ASIN B0026OK8UA. *Deshmukh, Marion F. (2015): ''Max Liebermann Modern Art and Modern Germany'', Ashgate Farnham, .

References

External links

Virtual tour of the main art school building
{{coord missing, Thuringia 1860 establishments in Germany Art schools in Germany Henry van de Velde buildings Art Nouveau architecture in Germany Art Nouveau educational buildings Education in Weimar Bauhaus University, Weimar