Franz Ritter von Stuck (February 23, 1863 – August 30, 1928), born Franz Stuck, was a German painter, sculptor, printmaker, and architect. Stuck was best known for his paintings of ancient

mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

, receiving substantial critical acclaim with '' The Sin'' in 1892. In 1906, Stuck was awarded the Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown and was henceforth known as Ritter von Stuck.

Life and career

Born at Tettenweis near Passau, Anna Rosmus: ''Hitlers Nibelungen'', Simone Samples, Grafenau 2015, pp. Stuck displayed an affinity for drawing and

caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, ...

from an early age. To begin his artistic education he relocated in 1878 to Munich, where he would settle for life. From 1881 to 1885 Stuck attended the Munich Academy. He first became well known by cartoons for '' Fliegende Blätter'', and vignette designs for programmes and book decoration. In 1889 he exhibited his first paintings at the Munich Glass Palace, winning a gold medal for '' The Guardian of Paradise''. In 1892 Stuck co-founded the Munich Secession, and also executed his first sculpture, ''Athlete''. The next year he won further acclaim with the critical and public success of what is now his best known work, the painting '' The Sin''. Also during 1893, Stuck was awarded a gold medal for painting at the

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...

in Chicago, and was appointed to a royal professorship. In 1895, he began teaching painting at the Munich Academy. In 1897 Stuck married an American widow, Mary Lindpainter, and began work designing his own residence and studio, the Villa Stuck. His designs for the villa included everything from layout to interior decorations; for his furniture Stuck received another gold medal at the 1900 Paris World Exposition. Having attained a high public profile by this time, Stuck was ennobled on December 9, 1905, and would receive further public honours from around Europe during the remainder of his life. He continued to be well respected among young artists as professor at the Munich Academy, even after his artistic styles became unfashionable. His students over the years included

Paul Klee Paul Klee (; 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented wi ...

, Hans Purrmann,

Wassily Kandinsky Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky ( – 13 December 1944) was a Russian painter and art theorist. Kandinsky is generally credited as one of the pioneers of abstract art, abstraction in western art. Born in Moscow, he spent his childhood in ...

, Alf Bayrle and

Josef Albers Josef Albers ( , , ; March 19, 1888March 25, 1976) was a German-born American artist and Visual arts education, educator who is considered one of the most influential 20th-century art teachers in the United States. Born in 1888 in Bottrop, Westp ...

. He was a member of the International Society of Sculptors, Painters and Gravers. His work was also part of the sculpture event in the art competition at the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the IX Olympiad (), was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from 28 July to 12 August 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam had previously bid for ...

. Franz von Stuck died on August 30, 1928, in Munich; his funeral address memorialized him as "the last prince of art of Munich's great days". He is buried in the Munich Waldfriedhof next to his wife Mary.

Style

Stuck's subject matter was primarily from mythology, inspired by the work of Arnold Böcklin. Large forms dominate most of his paintings and indicate his proclivities for sculpture. His seductive female nudes are a prime example of popular Symbolist content. Stuck paid much attention to the frames for his paintings and generally designed them himself with such careful use of panels, gilt carving and inscriptions that the frames must be considered as an integral part of the overall piece. Stuck's ''Kämpfende Amazone'' (''Fighting Amazon''), created in 1897, graced

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...

's '' Carinhall''.

Legacy

By the time of his death, Stuck's importance as an artist in his own right had almost been forgotten: his art seemed old-fashioned and irrelevant to a generation that had endured

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Stuck's reputation languished until the late 1960s when a renewed interest in

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

brought him to attention once more. In 1968 the Villa Stuck was opened to the public; it is now a museum. In Robert Waite's 1977 book '' The Psychopathic God: Adolf Hitler'' and numerous other sources it is noted that Franz Stuck was Hitler's favorite painter from childhood on. Stuck's paintings were mentioned by

Carl Jung Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and psychologist who founded the school of analytical psychology. A prolific author of Carl Jung publications, over 20 books, illustrator, and corr ...

, who wrote:

Gallery

File:Franz Von Stuck - The Guardian of Paradise.jpg, '' The Guardian of Paradise'', 1889 File:Franz Von Stuck - Dancers.jpg, ''Dancers'', 1896 File:Franz von Stuck -Wounded Amazon, 1903.jpg, '' Wounded Amazon'', 1903 File:Rigeltanz - Franz von Stuck - 1905 - Museo Nazionale del Arte Moderno - Rome.jpg, ''Ringeltanz'', 1905 File:Franz Von Stuck - The Struggle for Woman.jpg, ''The Struggle for Woman'', 1905 File:Stuck, Franz von - Salome - Google Art Project.jpg, ''

Salome Salome (; , related to , "peace"; ), also known as Salome III, was a Jews, Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II and princess Herodias. She was granddaughter of Herod the Great and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas. She is known from the New T ...

'', 1906 File:Sisyphus by von Stuck.jpg, ''Sisyphus'', 1920 File:Franz-Von-Stuck-adam-and-Eve.jpg, ''Adam and Eve'', 1920

References

Bibliography

* Adam, Peter. ''Art of the Third Reich''. New York City: Harry N. Abrams. 1992. . * Gibson, Michael. ''Symbolism''. Cologne: Benedikit Taschen Verlag. 1995. . * Mendgen, Eva. ''Von Stuck''. Cologne: Benedikt Taschen Verlag. 1995. .

External links

Collection of Works by Franz von Stuck

Museum Villa Stuck (in German)

The Gallery of Franz von Stuck

Franz von Stuck: Living Images

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stuck, Franz von 1863 births 1928 deaths People from Passau (district) Bavarian nobility 19th-century German painters 19th-century German male artists German male painters 20th-century German painters 20th-century German male artists German Symbolist painters Academic staff of the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni Art Nouveau painters Art Nouveau sculptors Art Nouveau architects Symbolist sculptors Burials at Munich Waldfriedhof 20th-century German sculptors 19th-century German sculptors Members of the Vienna Secession Art competitors at the 1928 Summer Olympics Artists from the Kingdom of Bavaria