Heinrich Kley
Encyclopedia
Heinrich Kley in Munich
was a German
caricaturist, editorial cartoonist
and painter
.
Kley studied "practical arts" at the Karlsruhe Akademie and finished his studies in Munich. His early works were conventional portraits, landscapes, still life
s, city scenes and historical paintings. From about 1892 he won a reputation as an "industry artist", painting manufacturing scenes in oils and watercolors. They proved his deep understanding of the modern machine world. Kley attained greater notoriety with his sometimes darkly humorous pen drawings, published in Jugend and the notorious Simplicissimus
.
The date of Kley's death is uncertain. Rumors initially suggested his demise in the early 1940s. It is also suggested that Kley died on August 2, 1945. Some sources mention the time of death on February 8, 1952.
Cartoonist Joe Grant
was well aware of Kley's work and introduced his drawings to Walt Disney
, who built an extensive private collection. A number of early Disney productions, notably Fantasia
, reveal Kley's inspiration.
Due to Disney's interest and reprints by Dover Publications, Kley is still known in the USA, while he is nowadays little regarded in Germany.
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
was a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
caricaturist, editorial cartoonist
Editorial cartoonist
An editorial cartoonist, also known as a political cartoonist, is an artist who draws editorial cartoons that contain some level of political or social commentary....
and painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
.
Kley studied "practical arts" at the Karlsruhe Akademie and finished his studies in Munich. His early works were conventional portraits, landscapes, still life
Still life
A still life is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which may be either natural or man-made...
s, city scenes and historical paintings. From about 1892 he won a reputation as an "industry artist", painting manufacturing scenes in oils and watercolors. They proved his deep understanding of the modern machine world. Kley attained greater notoriety with his sometimes darkly humorous pen drawings, published in Jugend and the notorious Simplicissimus
Simplicissimus
Simplicissimus was a satirical German weekly magazine started by Albert Langen in April 1896 and published through 1967, with a hiatus from 1944-1954. It became a biweekly in 1964...
.
The date of Kley's death is uncertain. Rumors initially suggested his demise in the early 1940s. It is also suggested that Kley died on August 2, 1945. Some sources mention the time of death on February 8, 1952.
Cartoonist Joe Grant
Joe Grant
Joe Grant was a Disney artist and writer.Born in New York City, New York, he worked for The Walt Disney Company as a character designer and story artist beginning in 1933 on the Mickey Mouse short, "Mickey's Gala Premiere". He was a Disney legend. He created the Queen in Snow White and the Seven...
was well aware of Kley's work and introduced his drawings to Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
, who built an extensive private collection. A number of early Disney productions, notably Fantasia
Fantasia (film)
Fantasia is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions. The third feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski, seven of which are...
, reveal Kley's inspiration.
Due to Disney's interest and reprints by Dover Publications, Kley is still known in the USA, while he is nowadays little regarded in Germany.
Books
- Heinrich Kley, Leut‘ und Viecher. Album. Albert Langen Verlag München o. J.
- Heinrich Kley, Skizzenbuch. Hundert Federzeichnungen. Albert Langen Verlag München o. J.
- Heinrich Kley, Skizzenbuch II. Hundert Federzeichnungen. Albert Langen Verlag München o. J.
- Hetaerenbriefe. Eine Auswahl aus Alciphron, Lucian u. a. Übersetzt von Dr. Hans W. Fischer. Mit Bildern von Heinrich Kley. Georg H. Wigand‘sche Verlagsbuchhandlung Leipzig o.J.
- Lucian, Lucius oder der Esel. Vorwort von Georg Cordesmühl. Bilder von Heinrich Kley. Georg H. Wigand‘sche Verlagsbuchhandlung Leipzig o.J.
- Vergils Aeneis. Travestiert von Alois Blumauer. Illustriert von Heinrich Kley. Berthold Sutter Verlag München 1910
- Justinus Kerner, Die Reiseschatten. Mit Urzinkzeichnungen von Heinrich Kley . Hans von Weber Verlag München 1921
- Festzug. Jubiläum der Universität Heidelberg 1386 - 1886. Festzugs-Album, von Heinrich Kley in Karlsruhe unter Leitung von Professor Hoff entworfen und gezeichnet. Verlag von Bangel & Schmitt (Otto Petters), Univ.-Buchhandlung und Edmund von König, Kunsthandlung in Heidelberg (vermutlich Kleys erste Veröffentlichung)
- The Drawings of Heinrich Kley. Dover Publications New York 1962
- More Drawings of Heinrich Kley. Sketchbook I and II. With an introduction. Dover Publications New York 1961