Wilhelm Morgner (27 January 1891 – 16 August 1917) was a German

Expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radi ...

painter and graphic artist.

Biography

His father was a former military band musician who later became a railroad worker. His mother was artistically inclined and would publish a small book of poetry in 1920. After his father's death in 1892, she struggled to support Wilhelm and his sister.Biography @ the Wilhelm Morgner Prize website (see external links) Despite her inclinations and his talent, she wanted him to become a Protestant minister. After only a brief time at the local gymnasium, he began to enquire about art classes. In 1908, on the advice of

Otto Modersohn Friedrich Wilhelm Otto Modersohn (22 February 1865, Soest – 10 March 1943, Rotenburg) was a German landscape painter. He was a co-founder of the Art Colony at Worpswede. Life In 1884, he began his studies at the Art Academy of Düsseldorf ...

, he moved to the artists' colony in

Worpswede Worpswede (Northern Low Saxon: ''Worpsweed'') is a municipality in the district of Osterholz, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Teufelsmoor, northeast of Bremen. The small town itself is located near the Weyerberg hill. It has bee ...

, where he studied with the

painter,

Georg Tappert Georg Tappert (20 October 1880, in Berlin – 16 November 1957, in Berlin) was a German expressionist painter. Tappert underwent an apprenticeship as a tailor, before gaining employment at various tailoring businesses for two years. However he a ...

, who introduced him to

modern art Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradi ...

and assigned numerous painting expeditions en

plein aire ''En plein air'' (; French for 'outdoors'), or ''plein air'' painting, is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein air' painting ...

. Tappert and he would continue to correspond regularly for the rest of Morgner's short life. Morgner selbstbildnis

He returned to Soest in 1909, where he established a small studio and began to exhibit. In 1910, he went to Berlin to take a few more lessons from Tappert.

Franz Marc Franz Moritz Wilhelm Marc (8 February 1880 – 4 March 1916) was a German painter and printmaker, one of the key figures of German Expressionism. He was a founding member of '' Der Blaue Reiter'' (The Blue Rider), a journal whose name later ...

was said to be impressed by his work.

Herwarth Walden Herwarth Walden (actual name Georg Lewin; 16 September 1879, in Berlin – 31 October 1941, in Saratov, Russia) was a German expressionist artist and art expert in many disciplines. He is broadly acknowledged as one of the most important discove ...

published some of his works in '' Der Sturm''. After that, he was able to participate in prestigious exhibitions by the New Secession in Berlin, the

Blauer Reiter ''Der Blaue Reiter'' (The Blue Rider) is a designation by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc for their exhibition and publication activities, in which both artists acted as sole editors in the almanac of the same name, first published in mid-May ...

in Munich and the Sonderbund in Cologne. In 1913, his works were featured in '' Die Aktion''. That same year, he started his mandatory year of military service. Although he could no longer do oil paintings, he continued to produce watercolors and drawings. Before his year was completed, World War I began and he was assigned to the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers * Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a maj ...

. He was soon admitted to a hospital in Berlin with a foot injury. Apparently, the injury was not serious, so he was returned to duty, this time on the Eastern Front, and was promoted to Sergeant. He also received the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

(second class). After another brief hospital stay, he was sent to Bulgaria and Serbia, where he worked as a

draftsman A drafter (also draughtsman / draughtswoman in British and Commonwealth English, draftsman / draftswoman or drafting technician in American and Canadian English) is an engineering technician who makes detailed technical drawings or plans for ...

. He spent the Christmas holidays in Soest, then went back to Serbia for a few months before being sent to

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

. He was killed near Langemark by British soldiers, while resisting capture. He was only 26 years old. In 1920, Tappert produced a catalog of his works that included 235 paintings, 1,920 drawings and watercolors and 67 prints. He also claimed rights to those works until Morgner's mother took legal action. In 1937, the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

régime declared his works to be " degenerate" and many were seized. Eight were shown in Berlin at the second Exhibition of Degenerate Art in 1938. Numerous works survived, however. The largest collection (60 pieces) is on display in Soest, where his family home became a museum (the Wilhelm-Morgner-Haus) in 1962. The Wilhelm Morgner Prize, for young artists, was established in 1953 by the City of Soest and the Soest Savings Bank. The prize is currently (2016) worth 15,000

Euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

Selected paintings

File:Einzug jerusalem morgner.jpg, Entering Jerusalem File:Astrale komposition.jpg, Astral Composition Komposition tempera.jpg, Tempera Composition X Frau mit karre morgner.jpg, Woman with Wheelbarrow

References

External links

Wilhelm Morgner Prize website
with Biography, list of winners and family photographs. * *
Exhibitions
@ the

Alfred Flechtheim Alfred Flechtheim (1 April 1878 – 9 March 1937) was a German Jewish art dealer, art collector, journalist and publisher persecuted by the Nazis. Early years Flechtheim was born into a Jewish merchant family; his father, Emil Flechtheim, was a g ...

Gallery.
Exhibition
@ the Villa Wessel in

Iserlohn Iserlohn (; Westphalian: ''Iserlaun'') is a city in the Märkischer Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the largest city by population and area within the district and the Sauerland region. Geography Iserlohn is locat ...

, 1993-94. {{DEFAULTSORT:Morgner, Wilhelm 1891 births 1917 deaths 20th-century German painters German male painters German Expressionist painters German graphic designers People from Soest, Germany Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 2nd class 20th-century German male artists German military personnel killed in World War I German Army personnel of World War I

Biography

Selected paintings

References

Further reading

External links