Ella Bergmann-Michel
Encyclopedia
Ella Bergmann-Michel was a German abstract art
ist. An early student of constructivist art
in Germany, her contributions to modern abstract art are often forgotten in American art culture. Bergmann-Michel’s style was very specialized and unique, especially considering the restrictive time in which she was actively working. Most of her work is not titled or signed, making it hard to identify and find in today's art market.
technique in the constructivist style. By using wood, metal and any other obscure material Bergmann-Michel would create very exact and scientific looking collages. By the 1920s Bergmann-Michel had begun to expand her technique even more. In a time when abstract art
was considered a lesser art form, Bergmann-Michel incorporated poetry into abstract pieces; she would paste words of meaning right on top of the canvas, as well as paint words on. Bergmann became one of the first artists of the constructivist movement to incorporate photography into her artwork, this was a very important advancement of abstract art, one that was used often by more contemporary artists such as Andy Warhol
.
first established it. The new form of art took on different meaning in the different European nations, but the consistency was that it referenced the social and economic problems that the artists felt represented Europe through abstract means. In Bergmann-Michel’s homeland of Germany, Constructivism showed its greatest impact through the Bauhaus school, which was established for the development of the art form.
Germany. While in Frankfurt she decorated much of the Bauhaus
school's minimalist walls. Bergmann-Michel continued doing her art until World War II
when she was forced to stop. Being a failed painter himself, Hitler abhorred abstract art of all types. Bergmann-Michel worked on her family’s farm until the war ended. Once the war ended Bergmann-Michel went back to her art. In the later years she continued to make picture collages and vertical/horizontal compositions, none of which are titled.
, London
, Belfast
, Poland
, Milan
, Paris
and the United States
. Her art is distinctive, interesting, and found primarily in European art markets. It is unknown how many paintings and pieces that Bergmann-Michel completed; her art is more important for the movement that it helped to propel, rather than individual pieces themselves. Bergmann-Michel is one of many lost artists of Germany during the era.
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
ist. An early student of constructivist art
Constructivism (art)
Constructivism was an artistic and architectural philosophy that originated in Russia beginning in 1919, which was a rejection of the idea of autonomous art. The movement was in favour of art as a practice for social purposes. Constructivism had a great effect on modern art movements of the 20th...
in Germany, her contributions to modern abstract art are often forgotten in American art culture. Bergmann-Michel’s style was very specialized and unique, especially considering the restrictive time in which she was actively working. Most of her work is not titled or signed, making it hard to identify and find in today's art market.
Early life
Bergmann-Michel began making art at an early age. By 1915 she experimented with a collageCollage
A collage is a work of formal art, primarily in the visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole....
technique in the constructivist style. By using wood, metal and any other obscure material Bergmann-Michel would create very exact and scientific looking collages. By the 1920s Bergmann-Michel had begun to expand her technique even more. In a time when abstract art
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
was considered a lesser art form, Bergmann-Michel incorporated poetry into abstract pieces; she would paste words of meaning right on top of the canvas, as well as paint words on. Bergmann became one of the first artists of the constructivist movement to incorporate photography into her artwork, this was a very important advancement of abstract art, one that was used often by more contemporary artists such as Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
.
Artistic style
Constructivism was an art form developed early in the twentieth century; Vladimir TatlinVladimir Tatlin
Vladimir Yevgrafovich Tatlin was a Russian and Soviet painter and architect. With Kazimir Malevich he was one of the two most important figures in the Russian avant-garde art movement of the 1920s, and he later became the most important artist in the Constructivist movement...
first established it. The new form of art took on different meaning in the different European nations, but the consistency was that it referenced the social and economic problems that the artists felt represented Europe through abstract means. In Bergmann-Michel’s homeland of Germany, Constructivism showed its greatest impact through the Bauhaus school, which was established for the development of the art form.
Marriage and war
By the late 1920s Bergmann-Michel married Robert Michel and moved to FrankfurtFrankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
Germany. While in Frankfurt she decorated much of the Bauhaus
Bauhaus
', commonly known simply as Bauhaus, was a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933. At that time the German term stood for "School of Building".The Bauhaus school was founded by...
school's minimalist walls. Bergmann-Michel continued doing her art until World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when she was forced to stop. Being a failed painter himself, Hitler abhorred abstract art of all types. Bergmann-Michel worked on her family’s farm until the war ended. Once the war ended Bergmann-Michel went back to her art. In the later years she continued to make picture collages and vertical/horizontal compositions, none of which are titled.
Legacy
Through her life Ella Bergmann-Michel toured ZurichZürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Her art is distinctive, interesting, and found primarily in European art markets. It is unknown how many paintings and pieces that Bergmann-Michel completed; her art is more important for the movement that it helped to propel, rather than individual pieces themselves. Bergmann-Michel is one of many lost artists of Germany during the era.
External links
- "Ella Bergmann-Michel (1896 - 1971)." 03/06/06. http://wwar.com/masters/b/bergmann-michel-ella.html (accessed October 25, 2006).
- "Constructivism: (1913 - 1930)." 02/05/06. http://wwar.com/masters/movements/constructivism.html (accessed October 25, 2006).
- "Peter Nahum At the Leicester Galleries." 03/05/2004.http://www.leicestergalleries.com/provenart/dealer_stock_details.cgi?d_id=&a_id=10466 (accessed October 25, 2006).
- "Ella Bergmann-Michel - Fotografien und Filme." 07/01/2005.http://www.museum-folkwang.de/bergmann.html (accessed October 25, 2006).