The mysteries of World War II continue to live on. Recently a most detailed watercolor-gouache painting appeared. At first it was unknown, but research revealed a most amazing story. The watercolor was signed by Prof. Kleinert '45. But who was Kleinert, and what was the scene? It was clear that it was a European scene, was it Germany or Italy, or some-other unknown spot.
The research bared out that it was a scene from Klagenfurt, a city in Austria on the eastern shore of Lake Worthersee. This city is the capital of the Austrian Province of Carinthia, also located close to the borders of Italy and Slovenia.
The painting shows the "Landhous" the Palace of the Estates, now the State Parliament, where local representatives and the governor handle the business of the province. The Landhous was built by Hans Freymann and Johann Anton Verda in 1574-1594 to replace the sovereign's previous moated castle. Their design as pictured includes a horseshoe shaped courtyard/plaza, two matching tall towers and outside staircases that are not easy to see in the painting. The city tourist office says it is in the Renaissance architecture style with stunning interior frescoes. The Landhous painting is below.
Prof. Kleinert goes for architectural accuracy, smack in the center of the two towers is the tip of the Klagenfurt Cathedral peeking up over the Landhous. The Cathedral that was originally built in 1581 and due to fire, was rebuilt in 1724. It is a picturesque cathedral with a grand central turret, and a richly Baroque interior that depicts Saint Paul and Peter before martyrdom.
Kleinert's enticing vista from a close-up vantage point is boldly handled, and the overall golden color enlivens the composition. The scene appears tranquil with just a few people roaming around and the red and white Austrian flags along with the red roof allows the eye to focus on the center of the composition.
It was on April 27, 1945, after the Nazi defeat that the Austrian flags were raised on the Landhous towers once again. The two over-sized flags hang valiantly, consisting of two red stripes and a center white strip blowing in the breeze. Which brings us to the artist: Professor Hans Kleinert.
Prof. Kleinert accomplished this same scene a couple of years earlier, only difference, Nazi Swastikas flags hung, instead of Austrian red and white stripped flags. This scene with the Nazi flags was used for a postcard. The painting was used to create the postcard, was printed during the war period and captured the old town of Klagenfurt realistically, just as his painting nearly a year later. The postcard pictured below:
With a quick glance, it appears that the two works are almost identical, yet closer inspection reveals subtle differences, including the sky and the window shutters details. It is recorded that Kleinert was born in a German community called Gablonz in the northwestern region of the Czech Republic. He was captured in 1914 by the Russians during the First World War and because of his high level of artistic education and talent he was released from forced labor. He spent his prisoner of war years in the Siberian town of Tomsk along with a group of other German and Austrian artists. Kleinert was able to have his own exhibit at the women's gymnasium there in 1919, indicating that he must have had great contacts, a sufficient amount of work, and skill to execute his watercolors. Some reports indicate that the famous Austrian artist, Rudolf Wacker was also a prisoner at Tomsk, and was a critic of Kleinert's work. They both had very different styles and approaches to art, Wacker was an Expressionist and Magic Realist, whereas, Kleinert was an Accuracy Realist.
Kleinert was released from the Russians, and returned home. Within a little more than a decade, another new political climate would bring forth historical mayhem - Nazism. A recent critical review, by Michael Koschat, all in German, has put Kleinert back in the spotlight: Koschat says he "feed at the trough of the Nazis" whereas others say that he was a talented artist that needed to survive and work during the Second World War.
Before we judge Kleinert, let me offer an alternative vision. There are few biographical records on Kleinert, but we must remember that his life bridged two centuries, two world wars, and changes in popular art styles. There were new influences threatening the Austrian way of life, and after the First World War there was smoldering, lean years that required the state coffers to pay for the war debt. Austria’s largest bank collapsed in 1931 and Nazi power was a growing experiment during this time that became demonic.
All new critical reviews should be viewed with his World War I confinement, and his desire to survive. I believe he never forgot the perils of World War I and his time as a prisoner. Likewise, we don’t know if the postcard art was commissioned or demanded by the Nazi regime. What we do know is that his work fit the Nazi approved style of realism at the time.
His work is still being exhibited, including a recent group exhibit at Galerie Magnet, 2016, Klagenfurt; an exhibit entitled "Klagenfurt 500 - A City in Pictures" that was held at the Stadtgalerie, Klagenfurt (The City Gallery); and he has artworks at the Carinthian Provincial Museum.
The only unanswered question is: Where has this original watercolor/gouache been? It has a freshness and is in totally unfaded condition, which would lead one to believe it has rarely been seen in the light of day. Did it return home in grandpa's army locker hidden away all these years later? Perhaps someday, we will know the answers to the mystery.
References:
Lena Radauer, Lost Generation?, Published by the Technical University of Liberec (Czech Republic), 2013, Pg: 115, 116, 117 and 121. Additionally: Co-Author for the Exhibit, "Interned in Siberia - German Bohemian Artists in the First World War" and PDF - "I have experienced for myself that art can not only comfort (...) but also liberate."
Michael Koschat, "Urgesund" and "Kerndeutsch": Carinthian Fine Art in the Shadow of the Swastika, Hermagoras Club of Klagenfurt (Publisher), 2017, Pg. 488.
Prof. Wilfried Magnet, Galerie Magnet, Exhibit Catalog, 2016.
Klagenfurt Population Index, 1947, Listed as Prof. Hans Kleinert, Painter, living at Brucknerweg 4.
The research bared out that it was a scene from Klagenfurt, a city in Austria on the eastern shore of Lake Worthersee. This city is the capital of the Austrian Province of Carinthia, also located close to the borders of Italy and Slovenia.
The painting shows the "Landhous" the Palace of the Estates, now the State Parliament, where local representatives and the governor handle the business of the province. The Landhous was built by Hans Freymann and Johann Anton Verda in 1574-1594 to replace the sovereign's previous moated castle. Their design as pictured includes a horseshoe shaped courtyard/plaza, two matching tall towers and outside staircases that are not easy to see in the painting. The city tourist office says it is in the Renaissance architecture style with stunning interior frescoes. The Landhous painting is below.
Prof. Kleinert goes for architectural accuracy, smack in the center of the two towers is the tip of the Klagenfurt Cathedral peeking up over the Landhous. The Cathedral that was originally built in 1581 and due to fire, was rebuilt in 1724. It is a picturesque cathedral with a grand central turret, and a richly Baroque interior that depicts Saint Paul and Peter before martyrdom.
Kleinert's enticing vista from a close-up vantage point is boldly handled, and the overall golden color enlivens the composition. The scene appears tranquil with just a few people roaming around and the red and white Austrian flags along with the red roof allows the eye to focus on the center of the composition.
It was on April 27, 1945, after the Nazi defeat that the Austrian flags were raised on the Landhous towers once again. The two over-sized flags hang valiantly, consisting of two red stripes and a center white strip blowing in the breeze. Which brings us to the artist: Professor Hans Kleinert.
Prof. Kleinert accomplished this same scene a couple of years earlier, only difference, Nazi Swastikas flags hung, instead of Austrian red and white stripped flags. This scene with the Nazi flags was used for a postcard. The painting was used to create the postcard, was printed during the war period and captured the old town of Klagenfurt realistically, just as his painting nearly a year later. The postcard pictured below:
 |
| Postcard After a watercolor by Prof. Hans Kleinert Printed in Seyrermuhi, Vienna Sent: April 1, 1944 with Hitler Stamp |
With a quick glance, it appears that the two works are almost identical, yet closer inspection reveals subtle differences, including the sky and the window shutters details. It is recorded that Kleinert was born in a German community called Gablonz in the northwestern region of the Czech Republic. He was captured in 1914 by the Russians during the First World War and because of his high level of artistic education and talent he was released from forced labor. He spent his prisoner of war years in the Siberian town of Tomsk along with a group of other German and Austrian artists. Kleinert was able to have his own exhibit at the women's gymnasium there in 1919, indicating that he must have had great contacts, a sufficient amount of work, and skill to execute his watercolors. Some reports indicate that the famous Austrian artist, Rudolf Wacker was also a prisoner at Tomsk, and was a critic of Kleinert's work. They both had very different styles and approaches to art, Wacker was an Expressionist and Magic Realist, whereas, Kleinert was an Accuracy Realist.
Kleinert was released from the Russians, and returned home. Within a little more than a decade, another new political climate would bring forth historical mayhem - Nazism. A recent critical review, by Michael Koschat, all in German, has put Kleinert back in the spotlight: Koschat says he "feed at the trough of the Nazis" whereas others say that he was a talented artist that needed to survive and work during the Second World War.
Before we judge Kleinert, let me offer an alternative vision. There are few biographical records on Kleinert, but we must remember that his life bridged two centuries, two world wars, and changes in popular art styles. There were new influences threatening the Austrian way of life, and after the First World War there was smoldering, lean years that required the state coffers to pay for the war debt. Austria’s largest bank collapsed in 1931 and Nazi power was a growing experiment during this time that became demonic.
All new critical reviews should be viewed with his World War I confinement, and his desire to survive. I believe he never forgot the perils of World War I and his time as a prisoner. Likewise, we don’t know if the postcard art was commissioned or demanded by the Nazi regime. What we do know is that his work fit the Nazi approved style of realism at the time.
His work is still being exhibited, including a recent group exhibit at Galerie Magnet, 2016, Klagenfurt; an exhibit entitled "Klagenfurt 500 - A City in Pictures" that was held at the Stadtgalerie, Klagenfurt (The City Gallery); and he has artworks at the Carinthian Provincial Museum.
The only unanswered question is: Where has this original watercolor/gouache been? It has a freshness and is in totally unfaded condition, which would lead one to believe it has rarely been seen in the light of day. Did it return home in grandpa's army locker hidden away all these years later? Perhaps someday, we will know the answers to the mystery.
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Waller-Yoblonsky Fine Art is a research collaborative, working to track artists that got lost and overlooked due to time, changing styles, race, gender and/or sexual orientation. Our frequent blogs highlight artists and art movements that need renewed attention with improved information for the researcher and art collectors. #waller-yoblonskyblogspot
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References:
Lena Radauer, Lost Generation?, Published by the Technical University of Liberec (Czech Republic), 2013, Pg: 115, 116, 117 and 121. Additionally: Co-Author for the Exhibit, "Interned in Siberia - German Bohemian Artists in the First World War" and PDF - "I have experienced for myself that art can not only comfort (...) but also liberate."
Michael Koschat, "Urgesund" and "Kerndeutsch": Carinthian Fine Art in the Shadow of the Swastika, Hermagoras Club of Klagenfurt (Publisher), 2017, Pg. 488.
Prof. Wilfried Magnet, Galerie Magnet, Exhibit Catalog, 2016.
Klagenfurt Population Index, 1947, Listed as Prof. Hans Kleinert, Painter, living at Brucknerweg 4.
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