National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-05-05
WILLIAM VoNKAULBACH
DEATH OF THE AGED ARTIST FRoH
ASIATIC CHOLERA.

.IIIS PLACE IN ART-ISTERESTING SKETCH
OF HIS LIFE-RIs WONDERFUL SUCCESS
AS A FRISCO NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. WITH
KING LUDWIe-oPIGIONs OF JULES FA-
vRE, THEIRS, GAMBErTA-THE "REFoR-
NATION, CARICATUREs, &C.
IRON letter IN the Herald, dated Munich,
April IL. 1874 we extract tho following notice OF
abe great artist whose decease has been announced:
Thus one by one are the great minds Of Ger
many dropping of into the grave, anc more are
To follow. It is not long since we had to record
the death Of Schwind, the artist Of the Legendary
lore, and of Baron Won Lieblg, the chemist, both
Of Munich, where King LudwIg has gathered so
many of the best minds Of Germany in his art
schools and in bis university. Dollinger is long
past his three score and ten, and, with Q weaker
physique than KAuIbach and mind as great In
other spheres, who knows but that he may be
called at any moment. We are reminded OF Dol
Iiuger here because Ksulbach, the Protestant,
and Dollnger, the strict Catholic, told Cstholc')
we're firm friends IN the one cause OF oottnng
against the Papaey in Germany. What Doinngef
accomplished with his historical WORKS ana ms
teachings-the founding Of q new Catholic BODY
In CSermany-Was supported by Ksulbach In most
Of his recent works, especially in his Peter Won
Arbuez," sentencing o heretical family to the
aames which created an intense excitement In
Catholic art and religious circles at the time
His recent pen sketches in "sQuibs" directed
against the person OF His Holiness the Pope, the
fosmas OF Immaculate Conception and Papal
EnfaIIibIIity, are most Of them unworthy OF the
great mind that produced them. Nevertheless
KsuIDach was the strongest foe In art that the
)Papscy had In Munich rim Germany; and TO the
cause Of Old Catholics he was an invaluable aid.
49, d. he NJ
say, pointing TO Germany: "See our foes are fall
ing like leaves in autumn. The enemies Of the
Church call upon themselves the terrible iudg.
ment Of God. Bismarck, tho despot, the perse-
sutor of the Church, Is stricken down with dire
sickness in the midst Of his presumption and his
power; the Emperor, his master, is at the point
If death; Dollinger, the backslider, is lettering
70 his grave, and Kaulbach is gone" Thus are
the enemies Of the Church dealt with.
KAuLBAcH's PLACE IN ART.
The art critics treat the matter from q totally
Inherent light. They mourn in Kaulbachs death
Tho loss Of one the greatest German painters Of
:hs present century. Hermann Becker, in his
aecrology Of the deceased artist just published In
The Cologne ZsitTng, places Kaulbach Sin the
ranks Of the first artists of modern times, indeed,
Sf all times" for NOT every century produces men
like him. "Since the golden era in which Michael
record the works Of many grand, talented men,
but only few whose genius was equal to that Of
he master who is gone from US. With and be-
tides Peter Won Cornelius, Kaulbach marks an era
n German art, an era which bears distinct
character, q thoroughly German national charac-
ser The fame Of Durer and Holbsin has pre-
vailed undiminished in Germany for the past two
centuries, and many, many years may pass before
.ames Of equal Importance can be Incrioed along
side Of the two great painters OF the nineteenth
sentury-Cornelius and Ksulbach. This period,
70 which these two men gave character
and tendency, has had its full development,
and has already come to Its close" But the two
painters totally different in style, and can no
more be compared with each other than Raphael
with Michael Angelo in art, with Mozart and Bee
ihoYen in music, with Goethe and Schiller in
fterature-each being @ brilliant phenomenon,
whose importance cannot be judged individually,
out together. Cornelius lacked the grsnd, all
Illuminating genius that Kaulbach possessed, and
which enabled him to grasp the legend, the spirit
Ifthe history he depleted, and surprise Us with
he immensely OF his conceptions. Kaulbaeh was
N idealst in art and to the realistic critic he Is
many cases lncomprehensible.
People without brains and without knowledge
all to understand him, just as our opera-goers
all to comprehend the genius OF Wagner in his
grand musical conceptions; because they refuse
o study his subjects; because he idealIzes them,
md instead Of . Don Juan, who, being on our
SEn level, we can comprehend his motives and
Iature, gives US Q Legendary Lohengrin, Who
liter we have seen him q score of times and heard
ais beautiful swan song gush from his lips, re-
mains to US as incomprehensIble ss before, but
always high and noble and beautiful-half god
and half human. Future historians will perhaps
Ie able to grasp the greatness OF this decade in
and nf fh0 80
men who rule and have ruled In the various
departments Of life and effort, In politics and in
var, in music and in art.
LIFE OF THE ARTIST.
William Kaulbach was born In the year 1905, at
Arolsen, in the principality OF Wsldeck, the
birthplace Of Christian Raueh, one Of the great
'st Of modern German sculptors. His father was
! matchmaker, goldsmith and grayeur, half
Irtist, who never basked much in the prosperity
4 this life. When seventeen years Of age be had |
elected art as his field in life, and went TO Dus
eldorf where he entered ss student in the acad-
my, then under the direction Of Cornelius and
ONE works of that period, though stiff and dry,
ompared with his later productions, show the
oung mans unusual talent. believe that one
( Ksulbach's first works. cartoon representing
he "Rain Of Mama in the Wilderness''-is still |
reserved at Dusseldorf The inspiration to bis |
n Insane Asylum" dates from his Dusseldorf |
ojourn.
One day the physician Of the insane asylum at |
dusseldorf called upon the young artists of the |
cademy, and told them that they might find
DOM to display their talents upon the walls of
he asylum church If they liked. He could not
fer them money, indeed, but an unlimited ouan
y OF bread, butter, cheese, and beer. The young
rttsts accepted the invitation, and soon filled |
very available wall in the church with frescoes.
piritual and worldly, sacred and profane When |
IL was finished the director Of the asylum ex-
ressed his great pleasure at what had been &C
Implished, said he was sorry he had not the
leans TO pay them for their work, but told them
lat, If they would like TO, he would show them
he inmates of his asylum, which he did. The
ght made deep impression upon Kaulbach the
suit Of which was the great picture which he
'mpleted some years Afterwards, and which Is so
ell known by the cngravings Of 1t that were sub
'quently published.
KAULBAcH IN MUNICH.
Kaulbach accompanied Cornelius when the lat
r was called by King Ludwig l. Of Bavaria, I'm
%, to join the brilliant company OF artists he /.
ID already gathered about him. He first of ALI :
sisted on the freseoes in the arcades of the
urt garden, and the symbolic figures OF the four
are from his hand Then fol.
Wed a ceiiing fresco, apollo and the Muses. " !
the Odeoa; then freseoes from the myth of Amor =
ID Psyche in Prince Max's palace, and later
ESQ illustrations to the poems of wieland and
petite In the Koenigsbau. His wonderful com. /,
sition, the Battle Of the Huns" was com
eted In 1S37, his subject being taken from the
ntastie legend Of q midieEal ehronIst This
sture, which was executed more as a cartoon )
an painting, commenced his fame, II IL too :
IL known fran the engraVings to REQUIRE any :
scription here. After q soiourn in Italy he com.
sted, in lsle, bis first great oil painting. HThe
'struction Of Jerusalem" which King Iudvig :
Tered for the New Binazothsk, in Munich. This
s the first picture in which the artts, deyeIoned
, peculiarities which have later Distinguished !.
his works. Following this came his fIlus:ra- =
rs, 'Reynard, the Fox" the drawing for the a.
scoes on the outside OF the New Pinakothek. =
'resenting the history Of the Munich art of that =
-iod, wherein his satIrical hints gave great y
snce to so many Of his contemporaries !. !,
THE PIcTURs OF THE REPoRxAr1ox.
he greatest works Of KauIbach were made for
Rim King Frederic William " called him
lis capital in order to decorate the large han. el
7 OF the new museum. The six large frsscoes q
re are the masters greatest glory Therein to
represents in symbOlicaI manner the great &c
chs Of the worlds hlstory-the Destruction of 10
Del and the Dispersion Of the Nations, Greece X
er Prime, the Destruction Of Jerusalem, the oil
tie OF the Huns the Crusades, and the Era b.
he Reformation. The execution Of these ii
ks was carried out By Kaulbach's pupils, b
-.