Emile Kirscht
Encyclopedia
Emile Kirscht was a Luxembourg
painter who worked with acrylics
and gouache
on paper. In 1954, he was a co-founder of the Iconomaques
group of abstract artists
in Luxembourg.
in the south of Luxembourg. His father died when he was only four, forcing him to earn a living in a steel mill from an early age. During the Second World War
, the Germans deported him after his refusal to join the Volksdeutsche Bewegung
but they later brought him back to work in the Belval
steel factory where he remained for the rest of his working life. Without any formal education, he started to paint as a child using a paintbox he had found in a dustbin. He developed his own abilities from the 1940s, soon to be influenced by the lyrical abstract imagery of the Paris School after he went to the 1947 exhibition of French art in Luxembourg City
.
in 1947 where he met Joseph-Emile Muller who, together with other Luxembourg painters, encouraged him to exhibit at the 1950 Salon de la Nouvelle Equipe in Esch-sur-Alzette
and at the 1954 Salon des Iconomaques. By 1959, his abilities were fully recognized when he was awarded the Prix Grand-Duc Adolphe
. Although Kirscht turned to abstract painting in the 1950s with works such as Composition and Automnal, it was not until the early 1960s when he substituted acrylics for oils that he truly mastered the style. One of his most notable works, Village (1959), makes use of geometrical forms to represent the internal lines and structures of the topic.
The interaction of the different yet harmonious colours are the basis of the structures in his works. In each painting, there is an underlying colour, the proportion of white diminishing ever more as his approach matures.
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
painter who worked with acrylics
Acrylic paint
Acrylic paint is fast drying paint containing pigment suspension in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry...
and gouache
Gouache
Gouache[p], also spelled guache, the name of which derives from the Italian guazzo, water paint, splash or bodycolor is a type of paint consisting of pigment suspended in water. A binding agent, usually gum arabic, is also present, just as in watercolor...
on paper. In 1954, he was a co-founder of the Iconomaques
Iconomaques
Iconomaques is the name of a group of Luxembourg artists who moved away from figurative art in order to promote abstract art. Created in 1954, the founding members were Will Dahlem, Henri Dillenbourg, François Gillen, Emile Kirscht, Joseph Probst, Wenzel Profant, Michel Stoffel and Lucien Wercollier...
group of abstract artists
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...
in Luxembourg.
Early life
Born on 11 June 1913, he was the sixth of seven children in a working-class family in RumelangeRumelange
Rumelange is a commune with city status in south-western Luxembourg, on the border with France., the town of Rumelange, which lies in the east of the commune, has a population of 4,818. It is also the site of some of the underground iron mines no longer in operation...
in the south of Luxembourg. His father died when he was only four, forcing him to earn a living in a steel mill from an early age. During the Second World War
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...
, the Germans deported him after his refusal to join the Volksdeutsche Bewegung
Volksdeutsche Bewegung
Volksdeutsche Bewegung was a Nazi movement in Luxembourg that flourished under German occupation during the Second World War....
but they later brought him back to work in the Belval
Belval, Luxembourg
Belval is a quarter and neighbourhood in the west of Esch-sur-Alzette, in south-western Luxembourg. Belval is the site of the large steelworks that dominate the city. Due to the dominance of the steelworks, Belval has suffered from the abandonment of steel production in Luxembourg, and is...
steel factory where he remained for the rest of his working life. Without any formal education, he started to paint as a child using a paintbox he had found in a dustbin. He developed his own abilities from the 1940s, soon to be influenced by the lyrical abstract imagery of the Paris School after he went to the 1947 exhibition of French art in Luxembourg City
Luxembourg (city)
The city of Luxembourg , also known as Luxembourg City , is a commune with city status, and the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is located at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse Rivers in southern Luxembourg...
.
Style
Kirscht first exhibited at the Cercle artistique de LuxembourgCercle artistique de Luxembourg
The Cercle artistique de Luxembourg or CAL, founded in 1893 as Cercle artistique luxembourgeois, is an association which brings together artists of all types with a view to supporting artistic work and art education in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg....
in 1947 where he met Joseph-Emile Muller who, together with other Luxembourg painters, encouraged him to exhibit at the 1950 Salon de la Nouvelle Equipe in Esch-sur-Alzette
Esch-sur-Alzette
Esch-sur-Alzette is a commune with city status, in south-western Luxembourg. It is the country's second city, and its second-most populous commune, with a population of 29,853 people...
and at the 1954 Salon des Iconomaques. By 1959, his abilities were fully recognized when he was awarded the Prix Grand-Duc Adolphe
Prix Grand-Duc Adolphe
The Prix Grand-Duc Adolphe is a Luxembourgian art award awarded every year to one or more artists exhibiting at the Salon Artistique of the Cercle artistique de Luxembourg ....
. Although Kirscht turned to abstract painting in the 1950s with works such as Composition and Automnal, it was not until the early 1960s when he substituted acrylics for oils that he truly mastered the style. One of his most notable works, Village (1959), makes use of geometrical forms to represent the internal lines and structures of the topic.
The interaction of the different yet harmonious colours are the basis of the structures in his works. In each painting, there is an underlying colour, the proportion of white diminishing ever more as his approach matures.