Henry Thode (13 January 1857 – 19 November 1920) was a German
art historian
Art history is the study of artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history.
Traditionally, the ...
. He was born in
Dresden
Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...
and died in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
.
Biography
He was an art historian at the time of the Weimar republic. He wrote against the prevailing ideas of the time that art from outside of Germany, such as French Impressionism was superior to traditional academic or native art.
Thode believed that great German art should illustrate technical skill, realism and the German spirit.
He also felt that art should be understood by all, not just academics and the bourgeois.
Thode wrote a great deal about how the modern art of the Impressionists attempted to both destroy 'true' German art and the 'true' German spirit.
His philosophies were very important in the formulation of the cultural policies of the Third Reich, especially in terms of 'degenerate' art.
His wife was
Daniela von Bülow, first daughter of
Hans von Bülow
Freiherr Hans Guido von Bülow (; 8 January 1830 – 12 February 1894) was a German conductor, pianist, and composer of the Romantic era. As one of the most distinguished conductors of the 19th century, his activity was critical for establishi ...
and
Cosima Liszt
Francesca Gaetana Cosima Wagner (; 24 December 1837 – 1April 1930) was the daughter of the Hungarian composer and pianist Franz Liszt and Franco-German romantic author Marie d'Agoult. She became the second wife of the German composer Richard ...
.
References
* Clinefelter, J.L. (2005), ''Artists for the Reich'', New York: Berg Press.
External links
Biography
1857 births
1920 deaths
Writers from Dresden
German art historians
People from the Kingdom of Saxony
German male non-fiction writers
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