Horst Janssen
Encyclopedia
Horst Janssen was a German
printmaker and draftsman.
. His mother, Martha Janssen, was a dressmaker from Oldenburg
; he never knew his father. Janssen was brought up in Oldenburg by his mother and grandparents in Lerchenstraße fourteen. His grandfather adopted him, and was later adopted by the Guardianship Court in 1939 after the death of his grandfather.
In 1942, he became a student at the Napola (Nationalpolitischen Erziehungsanstalt - National Political Education Institute) in Haselünne
, Emsland
, where an art teacher Hans Wienhausen encouraged his artistic talent. His mother died in 1943. In 1944 he moved to Hamburg, after being adopted by his mother's younger sister Anna Janssen, who lived in the city. He spent the end of the war and the post-war period with his Aunt Anna in Burchardstraße. They later moved to Warburgstraße (Harvestehude). In 1946 at the age of sixteen, Janssen enrolled at the Landeskunstschule (Regional Art School) in Hamburg. He was an outstanding pupil of Alfred Mahlau
from the outset.
in 1947, followed next year by the publication of his first book, the children's book Der Wettlauf zwischen dem Hasen und dem Igel. In 1950 his first child, son Clemens, was born, and his second book, The race between the hare and the hedgehog, was published. Janssen produced his first woodcut
s, influenced by Edvard Munch
. Dominant themes were animals along with man and woman. In 1952 he received a Lichtwark scholarship in Hamburg. At around the same time, he was forced to leave the Landeskunstschule. The following year, he was arrested after a drunken brawl and tried for suspected murder. Janssen finally received a suspended sentence for drunkenness. His life was marked by numerous marriages, outspoken opinions, alcoholism, and selfless dedication to the art of printmaking
.
and married Marie Knauer in 1955, who gave him his second child, a daughter named Katrin (nicknamed Lamme) in 1956. During this period, he worked hard on a series of large-scale color woodcut
s that were displayed in his apartment in 1957. Janssen gained recognition and the same year had an exhibition in Hanover in the Hans Brockstedt Gallery. After this successful show, he suddenly switched to etching
, becoming a pupil of Paul Wunderlich
, whom he later considered to be a rival. In 1959, his marriage to Marie ended in divorce. His art was now influenced by art brut
and Jean Dubuffet
. A new marriage, to Birgit Sandner, was followed by separation a few weeks later. The following year, 1960, he married Verena von Bethmann Hollweg who, in 1961, gave birth to his third child, a son named Philip.
Art Prize. In 1965, a retrospective of his drawings and graphic works appeared in the Kestner-Gesellschaft in Hanover. His position as a respected artist was bolstered by winning the Edwin-Scharff-Prize of the city of Hamburg in 1966. The following year, two of the most important people of his youth died: his Aunt Anna and his teacher Alfred Mahlau. Janssen moved to Blankenese
, Mühlenberger Weg. The following year, he was divorced from his third wife. His art now dealt with the losses of these years. He won first prize for graphic art at the Venice Biennale
in 1968. Janssen began a love affair with Gesche Tietjens. A trip with Gesche to Svanshall, Skåne County
, in southern Sweden lead to many beautiful drawings of the coastlines. His concentration on landscapes was supported by his return to etching. In 1972 he separated from Gesche Tietjen, who was pregnant with his child, Adam. In 1973 he had a love affair with Bettina Sartorius. In 1975 he won another prize, the Schiller Prize of the city of Mannheim
, where his large drawing retrospective was organized in 1976. In 1990 the balcony of his house collapsed and he suffered injuries to his eyes. In 1992 the city of Oldenburg
made him an Honorary Citizen.
Horst Janssen died in Oldenburg on 31 August 1995 and was buried in the Gertruden Cemetery in Oldenburg.
.
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...
printmaker and draftsman.
Early life and education
He was born in HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. His mother, Martha Janssen, was a dressmaker from Oldenburg
Oldenburg
Oldenburg is an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the western part of the state between the cities of Bremen and Groningen, Netherlands, at the Hunte river. It has a population of 160,279 which makes it the fourth biggest city in Lower Saxony after Hanover, Braunschweig...
; he never knew his father. Janssen was brought up in Oldenburg by his mother and grandparents in Lerchenstraße fourteen. His grandfather adopted him, and was later adopted by the Guardianship Court in 1939 after the death of his grandfather.
In 1942, he became a student at the Napola (Nationalpolitischen Erziehungsanstalt - National Political Education Institute) in Haselünne
Haselünne
Haselünne is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, in the district of Emsland. It is situated on the river Hase, approx. 15 km east of Meppen....
, Emsland
Emsland
Landkreis Emsland is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany named after the river Ems. It is bounded by the districts of Leer, Cloppenburg and Osnabrück, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia , the district of Bentheim and the Netherlands .- History :For a long time the region of the Emsland was...
, where an art teacher Hans Wienhausen encouraged his artistic talent. His mother died in 1943. In 1944 he moved to Hamburg, after being adopted by his mother's younger sister Anna Janssen, who lived in the city. He spent the end of the war and the post-war period with his Aunt Anna in Burchardstraße. They later moved to Warburgstraße (Harvestehude). In 1946 at the age of sixteen, Janssen enrolled at the Landeskunstschule (Regional Art School) in Hamburg. He was an outstanding pupil of Alfred Mahlau
Alfred Mahlau
Alfred Mahlau German painter, illustrator and teacher, born in Berlin and died in Hamburg. He was best known for his graphical work and illustrations, and for the large stained glass window, Dance of Death, in the Lübeck Marienkirche Alfred Mahlau (January 21, 1894 – January 22, 1967) German...
from the outset.
Publications
His first publication was a drawing in the weekly journal Die ZeitDie Zeit
Die Zeit is a German nationwide weekly newspaper that is highly respected for its quality journalism.With a circulation of 488,036 and an estimated readership of slightly above 2 million, it is the most widely read German weekly newspaper...
in 1947, followed next year by the publication of his first book, the children's book Der Wettlauf zwischen dem Hasen und dem Igel. In 1950 his first child, son Clemens, was born, and his second book, The race between the hare and the hedgehog, was published. Janssen produced his first woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
s, influenced by Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch was a Norwegian Symbolist painter, printmaker and an important forerunner of expressionist art. His best-known composition, The Scream, is part of a series The Frieze of Life, in which Munch explored the themes of love, fear, death, melancholia, and anxiety.- Childhood :Edvard Munch...
. Dominant themes were animals along with man and woman. In 1952 he received a Lichtwark scholarship in Hamburg. At around the same time, he was forced to leave the Landeskunstschule. The following year, he was arrested after a drunken brawl and tried for suspected murder. Janssen finally received a suspended sentence for drunkenness. His life was marked by numerous marriages, outspoken opinions, alcoholism, and selfless dedication to the art of printmaking
Printmaking
Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints with an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable...
.
Lithography
In 1954, he took up lithographyLithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
and married Marie Knauer in 1955, who gave him his second child, a daughter named Katrin (nicknamed Lamme) in 1956. During this period, he worked hard on a series of large-scale color woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
s that were displayed in his apartment in 1957. Janssen gained recognition and the same year had an exhibition in Hanover in the Hans Brockstedt Gallery. After this successful show, he suddenly switched to etching
Etching
Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal...
, becoming a pupil of Paul Wunderlich
Paul Wunderlich
Paul Wunderlich was a German painter, draftsman, sculptor and graphic artist. He designed surrealism paintings and erotic sculptures. He often creates paintings referred to mythological legends.-Background:Wunderlich Gertrude was the second child of Mr and Mrs Horst and Wunderlich was born...
, whom he later considered to be a rival. In 1959, his marriage to Marie ended in divorce. His art was now influenced by art brut
Outsider Art
The term outsider art was coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for art brut , a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created outside the boundaries of official culture; Dubuffet focused particularly on art by insane-asylum inmates.While...
and Jean Dubuffet
Jean Dubuffet
Jean Philippe Arthur Dubuffet was a French painter and sculptor. His idealistic approach to aesthetics embraced so called "low art" and eschewed traditional standards of beauty in favor of what he believed to be a more authentic and humanistic approach to image-making.-Life and work:Dubuffet was...
. A new marriage, to Birgit Sandner, was followed by separation a few weeks later. The following year, 1960, he married Verena von Bethmann Hollweg who, in 1961, gave birth to his third child, a son named Philip.
Art Prize
In 1964 Horst Janssen was awarded the DarmstadtDarmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
Art Prize. In 1965, a retrospective of his drawings and graphic works appeared in the Kestner-Gesellschaft in Hanover. His position as a respected artist was bolstered by winning the Edwin-Scharff-Prize of the city of Hamburg in 1966. The following year, two of the most important people of his youth died: his Aunt Anna and his teacher Alfred Mahlau. Janssen moved to Blankenese
Blankenese
Blankenese is a former independent town, now a suburban quarter in the borough Altona in the western part of Hamburg . It is located on right bank of the Elbe river...
, Mühlenberger Weg. The following year, he was divorced from his third wife. His art now dealt with the losses of these years. He won first prize for graphic art at the Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
in 1968. Janssen began a love affair with Gesche Tietjens. A trip with Gesche to Svanshall, Skåne County
Skåne County
Skåne County is the southernmost administrative county or län, of Sweden, basically corresponding to the historical province Scania. It borders the counties of Halland, Kronoberg and Blekinge. The seat of residence for the Skåne Governor is the town of Malmö...
, in southern Sweden lead to many beautiful drawings of the coastlines. His concentration on landscapes was supported by his return to etching. In 1972 he separated from Gesche Tietjen, who was pregnant with his child, Adam. In 1973 he had a love affair with Bettina Sartorius. In 1975 he won another prize, the Schiller Prize of the city of Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
, where his large drawing retrospective was organized in 1976. In 1990 the balcony of his house collapsed and he suffered injuries to his eyes. In 1992 the city of Oldenburg
Oldenburg
Oldenburg is an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the western part of the state between the cities of Bremen and Groningen, Netherlands, at the Hunte river. It has a population of 160,279 which makes it the fourth biggest city in Lower Saxony after Hanover, Braunschweig...
made him an Honorary Citizen.
Horst Janssen died in Oldenburg on 31 August 1995 and was buried in the Gertruden Cemetery in Oldenburg.
Legacy
An art museum dedicated to Horst Janssen was opened in 2000 in Oldenburg called the Horst Janssen MuseumHorst Janssen Museum
Horst Janssen Museum is an art museum located in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is named after artist Horst Janssen.The Horst Janssen Museum was opened with 1800 pages of Janssen-collection of the couple Carin and Carl Vogel in 2000...
.