Emil Schumacher

Emil Schumacher (* 29 August 1912 in Hagen, Westphalia; † 4 October 1999 in San José, Ibiza) was a German painter and one of the most important representatives of Informel.

Education of Emil Schumacher


With the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, he is obliged to work as a technical draughtsman in the armaments factory of the Hagener Akkumulatoren-Werke. In 1941 he marries Ursula Klapprott. Their son Ulrich is born in the same year. After the end of the war he worked again as a freelance artist. In 1947 he founds the artists' group "junger westen" with Heinrich Siepmann, Hans Werdehausen, Gustav Deppe and others. The artists wanted to tie in with the art of modernism before the time of National Socialism and the exchange of experiences among artists was to be intensified in this way. In 1948 the artist was awarded the "junger westen" art prize by the city of Recklinghausen. Three years later he produced his first entirely non-representational works. The artist participated in documenta II in 1959 in Kassel.
Emil Schumacher began studying commercial art at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Dortmund in 1931. After graduating in 1934, he worked as a freelance artist. After the National Socialists came to power in 1933, he was not admitted to the "Reichskammer der Bildenden Künste". With the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, he is obliged to work as a

technical draughtsman in the armaments factory of the Hagen accumulator works. In 1941 he marries Ursula Klapprott. Their son Ulrich is born in the same year. After the end of the war he worked again as a freelance artist. In 1947 he founds the artists' group "junger westen" with Heinrich Siepmann, Hans Werdehausen, Gustav Deppe and others. The artists wanted to tie in with the art of modernism before the time of National Socialism and the exchange of experiences among artists was to be intensified in this way. In 1948 the artist was awarded the "junger westen" art prize by the city of Recklinghausen. Three years later he produced his first entirely non-representational works. The artist participated in documenta II in 1959 in Kassel.

Honours, teaching activities and important exhibitions of Emil Schumacher


From 1958 to 1960 he held a professorship at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Hamburg. This was followed by a professorship at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe from 1966 to 1977. In 1964 he was represented with several large-format pictures at documenta III, and in 1977 at documenta 6 in Kassel.
In 1968 the Federal Republic of Germany honoured him with the Cross of Merit 1st Class. At the same time, the artist became a member of the Academy of Arts in Berlin.
During a winter stay on Djerba in 1969, he created the series of "Djerba Gouaches". During this time, the artist began to implement a drastic actionism in his works. By destroying the image carrier, Schumacher wanted to use destruction itself as a pictorial means in art.
From 1971 onwards, he regularly stayed in Ibiza, where most of his works were created.

In 1982 he was awarded membership of the Order "Pour le Mérite" and the Ring of Honour of the City of Hagen, followed a year later by the Grand Cross of Merit with Star of the Federal Republic of Germany. Further honours followed, such as an honorary residence at the Villa Massimo in Rome in 1985, the appointment as honorary citizen of the city of Hagen, the award of the Order of Merit of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia in 1987 and the honour as "Citizen of the Ruhr Area" in 1990. A guest professorship at the Concorso Superiore Internazionale des Disegno of the Fondazione Antonio Ratti in 1991 was followed by an honorary doctorate from the University of Dortmund in 1992.
In 1999 he became a member of the Saxon Academy of Arts in Dresden. On 4 October of the same year, Emil Schumacher died in San José on Ibiza.

Throughout his life, Emil Schumacher was a colour virtuoso who created colours and adventures with imagination and intuition. Colour itself is thus stylised into a pictorial factor of its own.

G-28/1987, 1987, Gouache on white-primed wrapping paper, 56,5 × 65 cm

Somaran, 1981, oil on wood, 170 × 125 cm

Elpe, 1988, oil on wood, 170 × 125 cm

Meon, 1986, oil on wood, 45 × 81 cm

Santiago, 1984, oil on wood, 170 × 125 cm

3/1974, 1974, Aquatint and drypoint etching, embossing on laid paper, 78,5 × 59,5 cm

Vita

1931/1934
Studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule, Dortmund.
1939/1945
Service obligation as technical draughtsman in the armament factory Hagener Akkumulatoren-Werke.
1941
Marriage to Ursula Klapprott. Birth of son Ulrich.
1947
Founding member of the artist group "junger westen".
1948
Art Award "junger westen" of the city of Recklinghausen.
1951
First non-representational works are created.
1956
Emergence of the first tactile objects.
1958/1960
Professorship at the University of Fine Arts, Hamburg.
1966/1977
Professorship at the State Academy of Fine Arts, Karlsruhe.
1967/68
Visiting professor at the Minneapolis School of Art. Creation of the "Minneapolis Suite".
1968
Member of the Academy of Arts, Berlin. Cross of Merit 1st Class of the Federal Republic of Germany.
1969
Winter stay on Djerba, where the series "Djerba Gouaches" is created.
1971
Regular stays in Ibiza, where a large part of the gouaches and works on paper are created.
1974
Prize of the City of Ibiza.
1982
Member of the Order "Pour le Mérite". Ring of Honour of the City of Hagen.
1983
Grand Cross of Merit with Star of the Federal Republic of Germany.
1985
Guest of Honour at Villa Massimo, Rome.
1987
Appointed honorary citizen of the city of Hagen. Order of Merit of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.
1990
Honoured as a "Citizen of the Ruhr Area
1991
Visiting professor at the Concorso Superiore Internazionale des Disegno of the Fondazione Antonio Ratti, Como.
1992
Honorary doctorate from the University of Dortmund.
1993
"Salle d'honneur" of the XX Biennale Internationale Gravure, Ljubljana.
1997
"Grand prix d'honneur" of the International Graphic Triennial, Krakow. Honorary citizen of the city of Jena.
1999
Member of the Saxon Academy of Arts, Dresden.

Artist groups

Informel

Informal art, in short Informel, developed in France as a counter-movement to geometric abstraction. It was given its name by Michel Tapié, who curated the exhibition "Signifiants de l'Informel" at Studio Facchetti in Paris in 1951. Overall, the movement is characterised by an urge for freedom - this is evident in the composition of the pictures as well as in the free use of materials. Within the style, various currents distinguish themselves, including Tachism, Art Brut and Lyrical Abstraction, which originated in France. There are various overlaps between the different styles, and parallels can also be found with Abstract Expressionism, which developed in America. French pioneers of Informel are Jean Fautrier, Wols (Alfred Otto Wolfgang Schulze), Jean Dubuffet and the Paris-based Hans Hartung. In addition to the artist groups "Quadriga", "ZERO", "Gruppe 53" and "ZEN 49", important representatives are the artists Karl Otto Götz, Maria Lassnig, Peter Brüning, Emil Schumacher, Hann Trier, Walter Stöhrer and Fritz Winter.