Jerg Ratgeb
Encyclopedia
Jerg Ratgeb (born circa 1480 in Schwäbisch Gmünd
; died 1526 in Pforzheim
) was a German painter and contemporary of Dürer
.
art and with the recently developed use of perspective
in painting. After returning to Germany, he settled in Heilbronn
. In 1510, he painted the altar of Saint Barbara in the church of nearby Schwaigern
.
From 1514 to 1517 he was in Frankfurt am Main, where he painted the walls of the refectory
and cloister
of the Karmeliterkloster (Carmelite Monastery). The paintings, of which only fragments survive, are the largest wall paintings known to the north of the Alps from that period. His most famous work is the Herrenberg Altarpiece, completed in 1521. It was originally painted for the Stiftskirche (abbey church) of Herrenberg
. Today, it is on display in the Staatgalerie
at Stuttgart
. Ratgeb had developed a distinctive personal expressive style, visibly influenced by artists such as Albrecht Dürer
, Matthias Grünewald
and Hieronymus Bosch.
Because of his marriage with a serf
of the Duke of Württemberg he lost most of his rights as a citizen of Heilbronn. He moved to Stuttgart, where he became a member of the city council. In that position, he negotiated with the rebelling farmers during the German Peasants' War
in 1525. He became part of the military contingent requested by the rebels and was elected councillor and chancellor by the peasants. After the suppression of the rebellion, he was arrested, accused of high treason
("because of the Peasant War and on behalf of Duke Ulrich
") and finally executed in Pforzheim in 1526, by being torn apart by four horses
.
, to read his surviving work as a political manifesto. Currently, such views are mostly rejected by scholarship.
In the 20th century, several historical novels were written about his life: Jörg Ratgeb by Georg Schwarz. Munich, 1937; Die Spur des namenlosen Malers (The trace of the nameless painter) by Marianne Bruns. Berlin, 1975; Anton Monzer: Die Spur der Bilder: ein biographischer Roman um den Maler Jörg Ratgeb. Bietigheim, 1999.
Since 1990, Ratgeb's life was the subject of a play called Jerg Ratgeb, Maler – Ein Künstlerdrama, performed at the open-air theatre of the Theater Lindenhof on the Ammerhof near Tübingen
. The play has also been broadcast on TV.
In 2004, the artist Hans Kloss painted a large four-part altarpiece depicting Ratgeb's life and death. Originally on display at the Johanniskirche of Schwäbisch Gmünd
, is has since been acquired by the Würth collection.
Schwäbisch Gmünd
Schwäbisch Gmünd is a town in the eastern part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. With a population of around 62,000, the town is the second largest in the Ostalbkreis and the whole region of East Württemberg after Aalen...
; died 1526 in Pforzheim
Pforzheim
Pforzheim is a town of nearly 119,000 inhabitants in the state of Baden-Württemberg, southwest Germany at the gate to the Black Forest. It is world-famous for its jewelry and watch-making industry. Until 1565 it was the home to the Margraves of Baden. Because of that it gained the nickname...
) was a German painter and contemporary of Dürer
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer was a German painter, printmaker, engraver, mathematician, and theorist from Nuremberg. His prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, and he has been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance ever since...
.
Life and works
Around the turn of the 15th to 16th century, Ratgeb appears to have spent time in Italy, where he came in contact with Italian RenaissanceRenaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
art and with the recently developed use of perspective
Perspective (graphical)
Perspective in the graphic arts, such as drawing, is an approximate representation, on a flat surface , of an image as it is seen by the eye...
in painting. After returning to Germany, he settled in Heilbronn
Heilbronn
Heilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is completely surrounded by Heilbronn County and with approximately 123.000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state....
. In 1510, he painted the altar of Saint Barbara in the church of nearby Schwaigern
Schwaigern
Schwaigern is a town in the district of Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 12 km west of Heilbronn.-Neighbouring municipalities:...
.
From 1514 to 1517 he was in Frankfurt am Main, where he painted the walls of the refectory
Refectory
A refectory is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries...
and cloister
Cloister
A cloister is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth...
of the Karmeliterkloster (Carmelite Monastery). The paintings, of which only fragments survive, are the largest wall paintings known to the north of the Alps from that period. His most famous work is the Herrenberg Altarpiece, completed in 1521. It was originally painted for the Stiftskirche (abbey church) of Herrenberg
Herrenberg
Herrenberg is a town in the middle of Baden-Württemberg, about 30 kmsouth of Stuttgart and 20 km from Tübingen. After Sindelfingen, Böblingen, and Leonberg, it is the fourth largest town in the district of Böblingen...
. Today, it is on display in the Staatgalerie
Staatsgalerie Stuttgart
The Staatsgalerie Stuttgart is an art gallery and art museum in Stuttgart, Germany, opened in 1843. In 1984 the opening of the Neue Staatsgalerie designed by James Stirling transformed the once provincial gallery into one of Europe's leading museums.-Alte Staatsgalerie:Originally, the classicist...
at Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
. Ratgeb had developed a distinctive personal expressive style, visibly influenced by artists such as Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer was a German painter, printmaker, engraver, mathematician, and theorist from Nuremberg. His prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, and he has been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance ever since...
, Matthias Grünewald
Matthias Grünewald
Matthias Grünewald or "Mathis" , "Gothart" or "Neithardt" , , was a German Renaissance painter of religious works, who ignored Renaissance classicism to continue the expressive and intense style of late medieval Central European art into the 16th century.Only ten paintings—several consisting...
and Hieronymus Bosch.
Because of his marriage with a serf
Serfdom
Serfdom is the status of peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to Manorialism. It was a condition of bondage or modified slavery which developed primarily during the High Middle Ages in Europe and lasted to the mid-19th century...
of the Duke of Württemberg he lost most of his rights as a citizen of Heilbronn. He moved to Stuttgart, where he became a member of the city council. In that position, he negotiated with the rebelling farmers during the German Peasants' War
German Peasants' War
The German Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt was a widespread popular revolt in the German-speaking areas of Central Europe, 1524–1526. At its height in the spring and summer of 1525, the conflict involved an estimated 300,000 peasants: contemporary estimates put the dead at 100,000...
in 1525. He became part of the military contingent requested by the rebels and was elected councillor and chancellor by the peasants. After the suppression of the rebellion, he was arrested, accused of high treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
("because of the Peasant War and on behalf of Duke Ulrich
Ulrich, Duke of Württemberg
Herzog Ulrich von Württemberg succeeded his kinsman Eberhard II as Duke of Württemberg in 1498, being declared of age in 1503.-Early life:...
") and finally executed in Pforzheim in 1526, by being torn apart by four horses
Dismemberment
Dismemberment is the act of cutting, tearing, pulling, wrenching or otherwise removing, the limbs of a living thing. It may be practiced upon human beings as a form of capital punishment, as a result of a traumatic accident, or in connection with murder, suicide, or cannibalism...
.
Reception
In the late 19th century, his work was rediscovered by Donner von Richter. Since then, it has been subject to controversial interpretations. His death has repeatedly tempted art historians, especially Wilhelm FraengerWilhelm Fraenger
Wilhelm Fraenger was a German art historian.Fraenger was a specialist in the epoch of the German Peasants' War and of the mysticism of the Late Middle Ages. He wrote important studies of Jerg Ratgeb, Matthias Grünewald and Hieronymus Bosch...
, to read his surviving work as a political manifesto. Currently, such views are mostly rejected by scholarship.
In the 20th century, several historical novels were written about his life: Jörg Ratgeb by Georg Schwarz. Munich, 1937; Die Spur des namenlosen Malers (The trace of the nameless painter) by Marianne Bruns. Berlin, 1975; Anton Monzer: Die Spur der Bilder: ein biographischer Roman um den Maler Jörg Ratgeb. Bietigheim, 1999.
Since 1990, Ratgeb's life was the subject of a play called Jerg Ratgeb, Maler – Ein Künstlerdrama, performed at the open-air theatre of the Theater Lindenhof on the Ammerhof near Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
. The play has also been broadcast on TV.
In 2004, the artist Hans Kloss painted a large four-part altarpiece depicting Ratgeb's life and death. Originally on display at the Johanniskirche of Schwäbisch Gmünd
Schwäbisch Gmünd
Schwäbisch Gmünd is a town in the eastern part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. With a population of around 62,000, the town is the second largest in the Ostalbkreis and the whole region of East Württemberg after Aalen...
, is has since been acquired by the Würth collection.