New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-04-09
OBII UARY.
WILLIAM Won KAULBACH.


William yon Kaulbach, whose death al Munich
is announced by cable, the last survivor Of the
group Of artists who made the opening years OF tho
present century golden age for art in Germany.
Overlook Won schadow Rethe and Cornelius are gone,
and Won Kaulbach, the most original Inventive ana
universal OF them all, has assembled TO the wahaas
and has heard from the lips Of his master Cornelius tho
"Al Hail" Of the Immortals.
Kaubach was born at Arosen, In the principally OF
WaGeck on the 18th OF October 1905. His father was
a goldsmith, had also some skill as an engraver ana
a talent miniature painting. He wished his son VII
helm to become artist, but, cufiously enough tho
boy did not feel drawn in that direction and It was not
until he lad well grown that his dormant talent
was awakened by the accident of coming upon
some enTayings by schwendccburth, 10 an almanac
lent him by the schoolmaster's son; and the inhu-
ence OF these rude pictures was deepened by
seeing come Of schler's tragedies acted In
1922 his father sent him to the Academy
at Dusseldorf, where he came under the teaching OK
Cornelius the director and virtual founder OF the school,
In 1925 he followed Cornelius TO Munich, and assisted
him in the decorative paintings undertaken
by the master the King OF Bavaria On the ceiling
Of the Odeon he painted his first Important WORK.
apollo surrounded by the Muses." Through this
design through the allegorca representation OF the
German rivers painted in fresco on the areades
OF the Hofgarten, there showed clearly enough
a new individuality. although the influence
OF Kaulbach was necessarily evident enough Still.
though the hands the hands Of Eau the voice was
Jacobs and there not wanting eyes to recog
nize or hands to welcome the newcomer into the held
1t until 1928 however that IN his Lunatic Asy
um Na7renhaus ne showed in unmistakable lines his
tendency to real repuye and more than repulsivo
horrible and despairing 10 conemplate-as this work
is il is deeply 20 be regretted he could not have
more implicitly obeyed through life the voice that called
him the present and the real nor wasted 30 much OK
his time and in mere illustration of other mems
work. and In compositions that please neither gods nor
men, and which only academcians and pedagogues can
delight in The Z" Lunatic Asylum" engraved by
Merz in severe hard STYLE well suited the subiecs
and treatment by artist Although this picture
painted until 1873 the sketches FOR 1t made
much earlier, at a time when he engaged in
painting chapel OF the unac asylum at Dusseldorf.
The director of the asylum having been attracted by the
young artist. took him the whole establishment.
and the effect upon Kaubachs mind strong that
lie could only rid himself Of it by putting his sketches
into permanent form. Striking was this work, and
decided the impression it made, 1t stands out In
the long list OF the artists performances almost the
only undisguised expression OF his own nature.
Powerful be in his art, he could
not resist any than any other
modern German, the cloud OF witnesses that clamored
for IDEAL the symbolical the allegocs the mystic
In short for almost nythng that would save them from
the real What see In smaller scale In Alfred
Rethel in him. RetheI made profound impress
sion not only IN GerInahy, out wherever the masNrp
wood engraylngs OF the works were known. by his
Death the Ayenger" and Death the Friend" also
by his Dance OF Death" but having achieved these
triumphs he too sang through his nose with tho
rest in his Charemagne frescoes at AXlaChapee.
showed that he could be ~ tame and commonplace ~
the others Could Kaubaeh have taken hold OF human
life with the drectness love OF TRUTH ant sim
certify he showed in the Nsrrenhaus there s no
calculating the influence he might have exered for In
all the mechanics OF his art he Was master Yet
immediately after It's production Ind
him engaged 10 decorating the Queens
apartments in the royal palace at Munich
with frescoes from subjects found in the by VIE
land Klopstock, and Goethe painting for Prince
Birkenfed series OF sixteen designs FROM the well worn
story OF Cupid and Psyche
In 1887 he painted The Battle OF the Huns" the sub
old legend that tells how the spirits OF tbo
Huns and Romans slain In the fight before the walls OF
Rome meet in the air and fight their battleioer again.
This Kaulbachs masterpiece and the world recoe-
n1ed the genius shown In II with ample plaudits.
IL has been admirably engraved Ike nearly everything
that Kaubach has done and the reader easily study
II for himself kaulbach IL no eoors and MS pictures
outlines lightly shaded get all that the master could
give in the original frescoes or IN his OIL paintings
coEu, RaczynsEi. 1t shows skill in COMPOST
ton, power In drawing, academic knowledge OK
Of learning is the rush. the fury. the concentration that
make this little patch OF earth aud air. our world ,oe
cences of Michel Angelo Corneluswe feel that tho
pcture was real 10 Kaubacb and that the treatment
OF the subject he borrowed from no one but himself
Tho year after the painting OF the Battle or
the Huns" appeared kaulbachs most charming work,
the one as Il TO by which he IL surest
10 live with the public of the uture'he lusraonsto
" Reward the Fox" To our thinking there never Was
work 10 which the much abused WORD iiustrAton
applies perfectly as 10 this II Is impossDe 70 Pa
ii too highly. and those who know II best are IN
enjoy II most kaubach has astonshed every OodY III
these illustrations by his knowledge oi sn'"as,
and by the life and character nc Nss
able 10 give them. But admiraole rs VS. %
technical execution of these designs " was sOmc''z
deeper that gave the work Importance; II rcvtdi'ut
rhe artist an unsupported humor, Satire power, an.
knowledge OF character; aud a. these GuaIIes n
he mistaken we are puzzled TO understand no" nap
named that Kaulbacb seldom found the OppOrtlh1y
for displaying them. Certainly IN the coingosluon'
mb,ch have given HIM his widest fame, The Destruc
tion of jerusalem" g. The Reformation hnd
the frescoes OF the Treppenhaus, We nnd TAO
more conspicuous than the creative poet
rne Germans delgh In these gigantic cohposIuous:
uith their ideasms and alegories their hign arr hba
grand style, have "a clear MUD thst hauio.eh
hd no vocation this sort OF work ana thst ne s
s,racted hi. powers in attempting them. No possiu"
good come OF trying 70 make them olt, anu tnef ~
erest such as Il s merely literary, not artistic al ale
What A farrago is the much talked OF "Refortnaton'
how incoherent how wanting IN truth OF character,
mon of people brought into the most absurd reiaos-
'rnis is indeed, the worst OF kaulbachs Dig pisu'
but there OF them that can be aei' ,n Cor
artistic grounds. Whatever may be the ,asnv 'h.
many il Is true that outside Oh ,nna ~ nav
age Of alegory Is past, and W ,has 49,
never MANY q great hI'n ~, 4. 80
sacrificed 10 this Mooch, and H, he w., ass
"A child was passed through the hre pus NC u tnc
Teaty ~ bts Sarenhaus In the splendid sixor
M bi ar the Huns and alike for the Innocence OF
childhood "a keen sixht o men, ln nu .o
Freedom the humor anu r ~. tha rox $50 " "
cal satire VI tho Ses ""sU WIZ AVA