Johann Adolf Rettelbusch (15 December 1858,

Kammerforst Kammerforst () is a municipality in the Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis district of Thuringia, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the nor ...

– 8 January 1934,

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...

) was a German

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

. He was nicknamed the ''Brockenmaler'', after

Brocken The Brocken, also sometimes referred to as the Blocksberg, is a mountain near Schierke in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, between the rivers Weser River, Weser and Elbe. The highest peak in the Harz mountain range, and in Northern Germany, ...

, a peak in the

Harz mountains The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, is a Mittelgebirge, highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The nam ...

, which became a major focus of his work after he took a trip there in 1888.Ausflugziele im Harz: Biography
/ref>

Life

Rettelbusch was the eighth child born to a family of

innkeeper Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway. Before the advent of motorized transportation, they also provided accomm ...

s. After attending the local schools, he went to the

Weimar Saxon-Grand Ducal Art School The Grand-Ducal Saxon Art School, Weimar (German:Großherzoglich-Sächsische Kunstschule Weimar) was founded on 1 October 1860, in Weimar, Germany, by a decree of Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. It existed until 1910, when ...

in 1878. Theodor Hagen and

Alexander Struys Alexander Theodore Honoré Struys (24 January 1852, Berchem – 25 March 1941, Uccle) was a Belgian Genre art, genre and portrait painter in the Realism (art), Realistic style. Biography Struys' father (originally from Holland) was a master glas ...

were among his teachers. After trying several styles, he decided to devote himself to landscape painting. Before graduating, however, he had to quit school for financial reasons. In 1880 and 1881, he took lessons to pass the drawing teacher exams with

Karl Gussow Karl Gussow (25 February 1843, Havelberg – 27 March 1907, Munich) was a German painter and university professor. Life and work His early inclination to art was encouraged by his family so, as soon as he completed his secondary schooling, he wa ...

at the

Prussian Academy of Arts The Prussian Academy of Arts () was a state arts academy first established in 1694 by prince-elector Frederick III of Electorate of Brandenburg, Brandenburg in Berlin, in personal union Duke Frederick I of Prussia, and later king in Kingdom of ...

. Despite this, he remained unemployed. Returning to Kammerforst, he supported himself with an occasional odd job. In 1883, he was able to study at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Berlin, thanks to a generous stipend from Max Friedrich Koch and Ernst Ewald. He acquired skills in landscape, portrait, and decorative painting, receiving several awards. In 1886 and 1887, he took a study trip to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. The drawings and watercolors he made there led to a job offer from the Prussian Ministry of Trade and Industry, teaching decorative painting at the new arts and crafts school in

. He began work in 1887 and later became vice-rector under the engineer . By 1892, he was Acting Manager of the school.Gerd Kley über Eduard Spieß in the ''

Magdeburger Biographisches Lexikon The ''Magdeburger Biographische Lexikon'' (short ''MBL'') is a specialized dictionary for biographies related to the city of Magdeburg and the surrounding districts of Börde, Jerichower Land, and the former Schönebeck Land. It is the definitiv ...

'', 2002, page 694 In 1906, he was appointed a Professor and remained there until his retirement in 1924. He was also involved in the cultural life of Magdeburg. In 1893, he founded the Artists' Association of St. Luke and was its president for many years. Nine years later, he founded the Artists' Association of

Börde A ''börde'' (; plural: ''börden'') is a region of highly fertile lowland in North Germany, a "fertile plain". These landscapes often cover great areas and are particularly important for arable farming on account of their rich soils. These reg ...

(a region in Northern Germany).University of Magdeburg: Biography
/ref> He was an active member of the

Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...

. A street in Magdeburg is named after him. Grusonwerk-krupp stahlgiesserei

Work

Although he is primarily known as a landscape painter, his over 4,000 canvases dealt in a wide variety of subjects, including the

First World War 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 ...

and the Krupp-Gruson armaments factory. Every year, he produced a series of Brocken-related postcards. Hundreds of his works are in private collections, and many were destroyed in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, but a large selection may be seen at the Magdeburg Cultural History Museum and the Rennstieg-Hotel in Kammerforst, which is still operated by the Rettelbusch family.

References

External links

*
Wernigerode-Tourismus: ''Vom Hainich zum Brocken'', book review, with three paintings.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rettelbusch, Adolf 1858 births 1934 deaths People from Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis Artists from the Province of Saxony German landscape painters 19th-century German painters German male painters 20th-century German painters 20th-century German male artists Prussian Academy of Arts alumni 19th-century German male artists

Life

Work

References

Further reading

External links