Gebhard Fugel

Gebhard Fugel (14 August 1863 – 26 February 1939) was a German painter specializing in Christian themes. He is best known for his work as the leading artist of the Crucifixion Panorama in Altötting.

Gebhard Fugel
Self-portrait, c. 1890
Born(1863-08-14)14 August 1863
Oberklöcken near Ravensburg
Died26 February 1939(1939-02-26) (aged 75)
Munich
EducationKunstschule Stuttgart
OccupationPainter

Life and work

Fugel was born in Oberklöcken near Ravensburg,[1] and grew up in Upper Swabia. In Ravensburg, he was an apprentice of Theodor Schnell and Burkhard Edinger.[1] From 1879 to 1885, he studied at the Kunstschule in Stuttgart[1] with Alexander von Liezen-Mayer and Claudius Schraudolph the Younger, among others. While still a student, he began to focus on Christian motifs inspired by the works of the Nazarene movement. In 1885, his painting Christ Healing the Sick received favorable notice in an exhibition at the Kunstverein München.[1] This enabled him to exhibit more widely.

Detail from the Crucifixion Panorama in Altötting

In 1890, he moved to Munich permanently[1] and participated in founding of the German Society for Christian Art (DGCK).[2] He soon focused on altarpieces and large-format church murals. He created a panorama of the Crucifixion of Christ for Kevelaer, a pilgrimage destination at the Lower Rhine, in 1895. He created a Panorama of Bethlehem in 1901, which was presented in Zürich, Switzerland. Both works are lost.[3] In 1902/03, he was the leading artist of the team creating the Crucifixion Panorama, a mural of 1140 square meter (12,270 square feet) of the Passion of Jesus[3] for a specially-built exhibition building in Altötting.[2][3] It is one of the last surviving panoramas and is unusual for portraying a religious subject, rather than the customary historical scenes, usually battles. Fugel and the architect financed the project.[4] The Panorama is a listed historic monument of Bavaria and the UNESCO.[4][5]

In 1905, he was named a royal professor.[2] He created 136 religiously-themed Schulwandbilder, large format pictures displayed in classrooms for educational purposes. Many were also used as illustrations for school texts and various other books.[1][2] Fugel died in Munich.[1]

Streets have been named after him in Ravensburg,[6] Weingarten, Friedrichshafen, Altötting[7] and Munich. The Gebhard-Fugel-Kunstpreis was established by his grandson, Gebhard Streicher, in 1979 and is awarded every three years by the DGCK.[5]

Paintings
  • Saint Sebastian
    Saint Sebastian
  • David and Goliath
    David and Goliath
  • Christ Healing the Sick (1885 version)
    Christ Healing the Sick (1885 version)
  • By the Waters of Babylon
    By the Waters of Babylon

References
  1. "Fugel, Gebhard". leo-bw. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  2. "The Painter Gebhard Fugel". eng.panorama-altoetting.de. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  3. "Panorama Painting". eng.panorama-altoetting.de. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  4. Just, Barbara (13 March 2016). "Jerusalem-Panorama erwartet zu Ostern wieder großen Andrang / Weltberühmt über Altötting hinaus". katholisch.de (in German). Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  5. Gärtner, Hans (24 March 2012). "Altötting rüstet sich für die "Fugel-Jahre" / Das "Jerusalem-Panorama Kreuzigung Christi" steht vor neuen Aufgaben". Traunsteiner Tagblatt (in German). Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  6. Gebhard-Fugel-Str in Oberzell Stadt Ravensburg dasoertliche.de
  7. Gebhard-Fugel-Weg, Altötting meinestadt.de

Sources
  • Ludwig Baur: "Der Kreuzweg von Gebhard Fugel". In: Archiv für christliche Kunst. 28. Jg. 1910, pgs.4–8 (Online)
  • Ludwig Baur: "Die Fugelschen Fresken in der kath. Stadtpfarrkirche zu Ravensburg". In: Archiv für christliche Kunst. 28. Jg. 1910, pgs. 65–66, 73–76, 81–82 and 92–95 (Online)
  • Oskar Döring-Dachau: "Gebhard Fugel" In: Die christliche Kunst, 6. Jg. 1909–1910, pgs. 133–143 (Online)
  • Bernd Feiler: "Der Blaue Reiter und der Erzbischof. Religiöse Tendenzen, christlicher Glaube und kirchliches Bekenntnis in der Malerei Münchens von 1911 bis 1925". Dissertation, LMU München, 2002 (Online)
  • Karl Muth: "Von christlicher Malerei und ihren Schöpfern". In: Hochland – Monatsschrift für alle Gebiete des Wissens, der Literatur und Kunst. Kösel, Kempten und München, 4. Jg. 1906–1907, Vol. I, pgs.60–66 (Online)

Further reading
  • Peter Eitel: "Fugel, Gebhard", In: Maria Magdalena Rückert (Ed.): Württembergische Biographien unter Einbeziehung hohenzollerischer Persönlichkeiten. Vol. I. Im Auftrag der Kommission für geschichtliche Landeskunde in Baden-Württemberg. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-17-018500-4, S. 83–84.
  • Gabriele Koller: Das Jerusalem-Panorama Kreuzigung Christi in Altötting (Kunstführer; Nr. 2487). Schnell und Steiner, Regensburg 2002, ISBN 3-7954-6389-0.
  • Walter Rothes: Gebhard Fugel. Eine Einführung in des Meisters Werk und Leben. Parcus & Co., München 1925.
  • Franz Schultheiß: Gebhard Fugel. Eine Lebens- und Künstlerskizze. Süddeutsche-Verlagsanstalt, Ulm 1920.
  • Gebhard Streicher (Ed.): Gebhard Fugel. Apokalypse. Exhibit at the Stadtgalerie Altötting. Büro Wilhelm, Amberg 2003, ISBN 3-936721-04-1
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