DOI Heft:
No. 110 (May, 1902)
DOI Artikel:Singer, Hans Wolfgang: A German painter: Robert Sterl
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.19875#0252
Robert Sterl
not interest us particularly. The subject as a He generally adheres strictly to the skeletpn of
story has no claim upon us. But we see a nature; in other words, as far as form is concerned,
type of humanity, stripped of its realism, elevated he copies what he sees before him. He does not
to a stage of simplicity that enables it to figure compose or construe in order to counterpoise light
by the side of the heroes of history and the and shade. What he adds to nature lies in the
saints of faith as a subject for art, when pre- direction of lowering the general tone and of
sented as seen with the eye of an individual eliminating detail.' Like all true artists he simpli-
creative soul. fles. The meadow that in reality is full of hetero-
In creating the type I think Sterl has so far been geneous light and colour is to him nothing but
more successful than in presenting it. I mean to one more or less flat tone which he balances
say that his " poor folk" are not subject to the against equally simple ones of the sky and of
strictures hinted at above, but he has not always the woods. The brushwork is bold and straight-
succeeded in making them serve the special pur- forward. This broad, sound style of landscape art
poses that underlie a single picture. This is rather is not, 01 course, distinctively Sterl's own; but it is
a matter of technique in his case. For example, a fine one to follow, and what he has created in it
he desires to tune our spirits to a particular chord is so far his most fascinating work,
that the vision of a twilight strikes in us. He can I say "so far," because the produce of his
do so in pure landscape better than in his large last year's labour, from which all the examples
figure paintings, although there the " poor folk" here reproduced are gleaned, show him to have
may have been introduced for the very purpose of other aims in view besides. Sterl saw. the light of
strengthening the impression. It is, indeed, in day (on the 23rd of June, 1867, by the way) at
pure landscape that Sterl has done his best work Grossdobritz; so he is Saxon-born, and remains
down till now. true to his mother country inasmuch as he has
" THE VILLAGE COBBLER " ' BY ROBERT STERL
239
not interest us particularly. The subject as a He generally adheres strictly to the skeletpn of
story has no claim upon us. But we see a nature; in other words, as far as form is concerned,
type of humanity, stripped of its realism, elevated he copies what he sees before him. He does not
to a stage of simplicity that enables it to figure compose or construe in order to counterpoise light
by the side of the heroes of history and the and shade. What he adds to nature lies in the
saints of faith as a subject for art, when pre- direction of lowering the general tone and of
sented as seen with the eye of an individual eliminating detail.' Like all true artists he simpli-
creative soul. fles. The meadow that in reality is full of hetero-
In creating the type I think Sterl has so far been geneous light and colour is to him nothing but
more successful than in presenting it. I mean to one more or less flat tone which he balances
say that his " poor folk" are not subject to the against equally simple ones of the sky and of
strictures hinted at above, but he has not always the woods. The brushwork is bold and straight-
succeeded in making them serve the special pur- forward. This broad, sound style of landscape art
poses that underlie a single picture. This is rather is not, 01 course, distinctively Sterl's own; but it is
a matter of technique in his case. For example, a fine one to follow, and what he has created in it
he desires to tune our spirits to a particular chord is so far his most fascinating work,
that the vision of a twilight strikes in us. He can I say "so far," because the produce of his
do so in pure landscape better than in his large last year's labour, from which all the examples
figure paintings, although there the " poor folk" here reproduced are gleaned, show him to have
may have been introduced for the very purpose of other aims in view besides. Sterl saw. the light of
strengthening the impression. It is, indeed, in day (on the 23rd of June, 1867, by the way) at
pure landscape that Sterl has done his best work Grossdobritz; so he is Saxon-born, and remains
down till now. true to his mother country inasmuch as he has
" THE VILLAGE COBBLER " ' BY ROBERT STERL
239