Léo Schnug (17 February 1878,

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

- 15 December 1933, near

Brumath Brumath (; ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. History Brumath occupies the site of the Roman '' Brocomagus''. Maria Christina of Saxony, aunt of Louis XVI, died in the château in the city. The b ...

) was an Alsatian painter and illustrator of German ancestry.Collectif, Léo Schnug et le Haut-Kœnigsbourg, un invité au château., Strasbourg, Conseil général du Bas-Rhin, mai 2008.

Biography

When he was still very young, his father, a court clerk, was hospitalized for a mental illness. To survive, his mother rented out rooms in their house to performers from the municipal theater,Amis de Cercle Saint Léonard: Biography and appreciation of Schnug
/ref> and the opera costumes they brought with them became a source of inspiration. After a few years at the School of Decorative Arts in Strasbourg, Anton Seder, one of his teachers, obtained work for him providing illustrations to ''Gerlach & Schenk'', a Viennese publishing company. He was only seventeen at the time. His studies continued at the Academy of Fine Arts, München, where he studied under

Nikolaos Gyzis Nikolaos Gyzis ( ; ; 1 March 1842 – 4 January 1901) is considered one of Greece's most important 19th century painters. He was most famous for his work ''Eros and the Painter'', his first genre painting. It was auctioned in May 2006 at Bonhams ...

. He later moved back to Strasbourg and became a member of the ''Cercle de Saint-Léonard'', where he learned

marquetry Marquetry (also spelled as marqueterie; from the French ''marqueter'', to variegate) is the art and craft of applying pieces of wood veneer, veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns or designs. The technique may be applied to case furn ...

from Charles Spindler and worked with a coterie of Alsatian artists, including

Léon Hornecker Léon Hornecker (13 June 1864, Neuhof - 9 January 1924, Paris) was an Alsatian painter of landscapes and portraits. Life and work He showed an aptitude for artistic crafts at an early age and was apprenticed to the Ott Brothers glass-making ...

, Henri Loux,

Alfred Marzolff Frédéric Alfred Marzolff (1867-1936) was a French people, French sculptor and medallist, known especially for his monumental figures. Biography His father was a Cooper (profession), master cooper. He completed an apprenticeship with the sc ...

, , Joseph Sattler,

Lothar von Seebach Baron Lothar von Seebach (or Lothaire de Seebach; 26 March 1853 – 23 September 1930) was an Alsatian painter, designer, watercolorist and engraver. Biography He was born in Fessenbach, now part of Offenburg, and raised in Mannheim, where his ...

and Émile Schneider. He was heavily influenced by

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 ...

and Medieval themes.

Alcoholism

At the outbreak of World War I, he enlisted as a sergeant in the German Army. His excessive drinking brought several reprimands. He was due for more severe punishment, but was saved by the intervention of

Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...

, who had honored him with the

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle () was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful service to the kingdom, o ...

for his work on the restoration of the Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg. Eventually, he began paying his bills at the local taverns by drawing small sketches on the tables. His health began to decline rapidly after the war. From 1918 to 1919, he voluntarily entered "Stephansfeld" (the psychiatric hospital where his father was) for rehabilitation. When his father died in 1919, his crisis worsened. Then, when his mother died in 1921, he spent a short time at the '' Hospices Civil de Strasbourg'' but suffered a complete breakdown in 1924 and was involuntarily committed to Stephansfeld. He remained there until his death in 1933. In addition to his regular art work, he also designed costumes, sets and various appurtenances for several public events. A street in Lampertheim (where he grew up) was named in his honor and a portrait of him is in the staircase of the Town Hall.

References

External links

Karger (European Neurology): ''Léo Schnug: Alcoholic Dementia as an Unexpected Source of Inspiration for an Artist''
by François Sellal
Alsatica: Search results for Léo Schnug
(texts and images)
ArtNet: Six paintings by Schnug
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schnug, Leo 1878 births 1933 deaths Art Nouveau painters 20th-century German painters 20th-century German male artists German male painters Art Nouveau illustrators Painters from Strasbourg

Biography

Alcoholism

References

Further reading

External links