BACK TO GALLERY
Hill-Stone, Inc.
Herman Wöhler
Fairy Tale Pictures for Margarethe
Tempera on vellum
Germany
c. 1942
Herman Wöhler watercolor
Sheet: 13 13/16 x 7 7/8 inches 350 x 200 mm
description
HERMAN WÖHLER Hannover 1897 – 1961 Hannover
Fairy Tale Pictures for Margarethe.
Tempera on vellum; c. 1942. Monogrammed "HW" in the lower center and marked with the work number "I,3" on the mat.
Amidst the threatening atmosphere of the bombing raids of 1942, Hermann Wöhler retreated to the quiet privacy of his "Star House" and began working on one of three fairy tale cycles, all of which he dedicated to his wife, Margarethe. These tempera paintings, created solely for private viewing, are imbued with his worldview shaped by anthroposophy and often reveal deeply personal inner worlds.
Wöhler was an adherent of the Theosophists, a religio-philosophic movement found chiefly in Germany, based on the late 19th century writings of Franz Hartmann and others who believed that a universal religion based on Eastern and Western mysticism was an answer to the general European pessimistic world view. Rudolf Steiner from 1912 led a branch of these adherents with a more Christian outlook. From 1937, the Nazis made Theosophy contrary to Nazi beliefs and persecuted its adherents. It is in this atmosphere of suppression and fear that Wöhler created this remarkable image, a loving tribute to his wife and a monument to perseverance in the face of cruelty, hatred and persecution.
This sheet serves as the dedication page of the first cycle and is sheet 3 of the series (following the title pages). Parts of the series were presented in 1987 at the Historical Museum in Hannover (see Greffrath, Bettina, Hermann Wöhler, Fairy Tale Illustrations, contributions and catalogue for the exhibition, Hannover 1987). Other pieces are now in the collection of the German Fairy Tale and Weser Legends Museum in Bad Oeynhausen.
Provenance: the artist’s estate, Galerie J. H. Bauer, Hannover, German private collection.
Sheet: 13 13/16 x 7 7/8 inches 350 x 200 mm
Fairy Tale Pictures for Margarethe.
Tempera on vellum; c. 1942. Monogrammed "HW" in the lower center and marked with the work number "I,3" on the mat.
Amidst the threatening atmosphere of the bombing raids of 1942, Hermann Wöhler retreated to the quiet privacy of his "Star House" and began working on one of three fairy tale cycles, all of which he dedicated to his wife, Margarethe. These tempera paintings, created solely for private viewing, are imbued with his worldview shaped by anthroposophy and often reveal deeply personal inner worlds.
Wöhler was an adherent of the Theosophists, a religio-philosophic movement found chiefly in Germany, based on the late 19th century writings of Franz Hartmann and others who believed that a universal religion based on Eastern and Western mysticism was an answer to the general European pessimistic world view. Rudolf Steiner from 1912 led a branch of these adherents with a more Christian outlook. From 1937, the Nazis made Theosophy contrary to Nazi beliefs and persecuted its adherents. It is in this atmosphere of suppression and fear that Wöhler created this remarkable image, a loving tribute to his wife and a monument to perseverance in the face of cruelty, hatred and persecution.
This sheet serves as the dedication page of the first cycle and is sheet 3 of the series (following the title pages). Parts of the series were presented in 1987 at the Historical Museum in Hannover (see Greffrath, Bettina, Hermann Wöhler, Fairy Tale Illustrations, contributions and catalogue for the exhibition, Hannover 1987). Other pieces are now in the collection of the German Fairy Tale and Weser Legends Museum in Bad Oeynhausen.
Provenance: the artist’s estate, Galerie J. H. Bauer, Hannover, German private collection.
Sheet: 13 13/16 x 7 7/8 inches 350 x 200 mm
SEND AN EMAIL