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Georg SchrimpfGerman artist
Date of Birth: 13.02.1889
Country:  Germany |
Content:
- Biography of Georg Schrimpf
- Meeting with Oscar Maria Graf
- Marriage and Personal Tragedy
- Teaching Career and Persecution
- Recognition and Legacy
Biography of Georg Schrimpf
Early Life and Artistic TalentGeorg Schrimpf was a German artist and one of the prominent representatives of the New Objectivity art movement. He displayed artistic talent from a young age, although his parents did not understand or support it. At the insistence of his stepfather, Schrimpf worked as an apprentice confectioner in Passau from 1902 to 1905. After that, he embarked on a journey through Germany, Belgium, and France, earning a living as a waiter, baker, and stoker.
Meeting with Oscar Maria Graf
In 1913, Schrimpf met the writer Oscar Maria Graf and traveled with him to Switzerland and Italy. They spent several months in the anarchist colony of Monte Verità in Ascona. In 1915, Schrimpf settled in Berlin, where he worked as a laborer in a chocolate factory while pursuing his passion for painting. His artworks caught the attention of writer and art critic Herwarth Walden, who helped organize an exhibition of Schrimpf's paintings in 1916. The exhibition garnered significant attention from art critics, and Schrimpf was hired as a contributor to the art journals "Die Aktion" and "Der Sturm."
Marriage and Personal Tragedy
In 1917, Schrimpf married the artist Maria Uden, who had a significant influence on his artistic development. The couple moved to Munich later that year, and in August 1918, Maria tragically passed away after giving birth to their son, Markus. After 1918, Schrimpf regularly exhibited his works in Munich. In 1919, he joined the Group of Revolutionary Artists and participated in the activities of the Bavarian Soviet Republic. He later became a member of the "November Group" and regularly exhibited with them throughout the 1920s. From 1921, he was also formally a member of the "New Secession" group.
Teaching Career and Persecution
From 1926 to 1933, Schrimpf taught at the Munich School of Arts and Crafts, one of the leading art institutions in Bavaria. In 1933, he secured a position at the Higher School of Art Education in Berlin. However, in September 1937, he was dismissed from his post by order of the Minister of Science, Art, and Education of Prussia, Bernhard Rust. The dismissal was based on formal allegations of his involvement in the Munich events of 1919 and his affiliation with the Communist Party of Germany from January to April 1919. Schrimpf's artworks were labeled as "degenerate art," and 33 of his paintings were seized from German museums following Joseph Goebbels' order. In 1938, the artist passed away in Berlin.
Recognition and Legacy
In 1995, the German postal service issued a postage stamp in honor of Schrimpf, featuring his painting "Still Life with Cat" from 1923. Schrimpf was a self-taught artist who learned to draw by copying paintings he admired or inventing his own subjects. He primarily worked with oil and graphic techniques such as charcoal and woodcut. His style was characterized by precise lines and a restrained color palette. Most of his subjects were landscapes, still lifes, and female figures. Schrimpf's artwork shows no obvious influence from contemporary art movements, and it remains apolitical.
