Deutsch Italiano Français
Opening speech for the exhibition «Maria Krull», at the art gallery «Palette», Röderhaus, Wuppertal, 30th March – 10th May 1967
Galerie Palette, Sedanstraße 68, Wuppertal (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedanstrasse68)
Mrs Krull, Ladies and Gentlemen!
It may happen in life that at the age of 52 you realise that you must fulfill your artistic dreams. In certain novels and other biographies we often read about those artists who already revealed artistic talent from an early age, and that this talent could be traced back to the paternal great grandfather. Then the very poor or unsympathetic father appears who does not want his son to follow such an insecure career under any circumstances, until the understanding mother intervenes and smoothes things over.
As I was saying, it can happen that someone at the age of 52 realises that they must fulfill their artistic dreams – it can happen too that this person after 6 years of studies and training in sculpture should discover colour overnight and say to herself now you must paint. However, now another 6 years of studies in painting will not follow because it is self-taught. «Self-taught» so to say as this person is fully trained in plastic arts. Someone who applies colour on a canvas will not do so without having experimented, practised and produced a huge number of sketches, accompanied by artistic reflections, first.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the case of Maria Krull whose exhibition is starting today and therefore open to the public and exposed to the public opinion of its audience here in Wuppertal. Maria Krull was born in Austria, then spent many years in Hamburg and now resides in Ladispoli. As we all know, Ladispoli is situated in Italy, north of Rome and is set in the most enchanting surroundings. Everyone who knows this area will say so. The scenery around Ladispoli is amongst the most remarkable, the most mysterious and culturally interesting in the whole of Italy. It is the Etruscan area, the Etruscan landscape very close to Cerveteri, the ancient Caere of the Etruscans which is unique in its kind.
Etruscan towns were founded according to religious principles, and each town had sacred traits. Here around Caere, however, and that is to say near Ladispoli, the whole landscape is full of sacred traits. So are the people, its descendents, if I may say so and as far as I can make out from my studies there at the time. The scenery of Cervetery and the people around this area inspired Maria Krull. She remembers that since the beginning it was people who particularly influenced her work and creativity.
She admitted a few days ago, during our long and interesting conversation, that already as a child she had been fascinated by people’s heads. She remembers very clearly watching Jewish people on their way to the synagogue. She can still see them now. She can still see their heads and their faces. As a child, on the Sabbath, she would lean against the wall of an old house opposite a synagogue, in order to be able to see the heads of these people. Today, in Ladispoli, Maria Krull sees the Etruscan descendents. She does not have to stand by the wall of an old house or by a garden fence to be able to see them, she speaks with the people in this ancient Etruscan landscape.
You can see some of these heads right here bearing the name «Sacred head». «The world they lived in is reflected in these heads and I feel radiated by its magic power», said Maria Krull. If something emanates from a human being or a landscape, any trace of uglyness will be deleted and for her this is the noble expression of the sprit.
Ladies and Gentlemen, if you come to Ladispoli and walk all the way to the Etruscan necropolis, after experiencing the mystery of the scenery around you and after entering the darkness of a tumulus, the impressions of your journey will echo inside you. There will be an echo in terms of colour. One feels the impressions of the landscape and takes them inside the tomb. Maria Krull has translated these impressions into colour and for her colour is the expression of the face the same way as facial expression will be created by sculptural materials in a sculpture.
At this stage we need to try and define the actual essence of the artist. The impressions formed by sacred features of the Etruscan landscape merge with visions of its environment for Maria Krull. «I started to paint in order to capture inspiration», she said. The idea to paint came in Italy in 1961 overnight, in that ancient Etruscan Caere.
She has named a whole series of paintings «Sacred Impressions». Evidently there appears to be a link between the artist’s impressions and meditation and the waiting for inspiration, the creative moment and the need to free herself from the influence of any other artist. The dancing figures and torsi come into the painting in the most natural way as you can see in the picture over there. Especially in «Joy and Sorrow» the representation of dancing women is reminiscent of Etruscan paintings. The geometric elements become part of the painting in a natural way. Look on my right at «Memories of Holland». Everything remains well-proportioned and well balanced. Maria Krull says that «without the right proportions there cannot be order».
We would miss an essential part of Maria Krull’s painting if we did not point out that she has found some confirmation of her personal reflections in Rudolf Steiner. Since I came across Steiner’s theories, I understand everything more clearly. It would be a mistake, however, to say that Maria Krull’s painting is antroposophic art. The artist would reject this sort of judgement firmly and it is not true as far as antroposophy goes and as some of you already heard me say one year ago when I spoke to you about Klee and antroposophy.
Let us now conclude, Ladies and Gentlemen, by saying that, after their exhibition in Turkey, the art group rbk had their exhibition at Maria Krull’s gallery in the presence of Gerd Hanebeck, the German ambassador and other industrial representatives. The rbk group is now going to exhibit the paintings of Maria Krull of the year 1966/67, and the artist’s work will therefore be exhibited to the public. She would like her work to be subjected to the visitors’ opinions. And she has every right to expect this, don’t you think? The exhibition «Maria Krull» from Ladispoli, in Italy right near Cerveteri and its mysterious Etruscan surroundings is now declared open.