Title : The Fleeting Fame of Anton von Werner
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The Fleeting Fame of Anton von Werner
Anton von Werner directed the Prussian Academy of Art in Berlin from 1875 until his death in 1915.![]() |
Self portrait of Anton von Werner (1843-1915) |
Because his work is associated with German military subjects, he is largely overlooked today. But he was greatly respected in his time. In his memoir, Emil Fuchs (American/Austrian 1866–1929) reflected on von Werner's renown:
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Oil studies from life by Anton von Werner |
"'The great Anton von Werner,' he was called. It was said of him that he could put more art into the painting of a soldier's boots than others could put into the face. His studio at the Academy was filled to overflowing with patriotic pictures.
"He painted the Proclamation of William the Great as Emperor at Versailles, the Negotiation of Peace at Versailles in which Bismarck forces Thiers to sign the Treaty, and innumerable other historic canvases.
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Illustration by Anton von Werner |
"Von Werner was considered an institution in German art second only to the great Menzel, his illustrious contemporary. The Academy was proud of possessing so distinguished a leader. And excellent he doubtless was for that particular post. His speeches at the beginning and end of each term were considered classics of their kind. Even in my brief stay there, two things which he said still linger in my memory. At his opening address he took a piece of chalk, and holding it up, declared:
"'Talent is one. It is the basis of art. Without it any amount of industry is of no value.'
"Then he added a zero and held the one beside it. 'But,' he went on, 'talent and industry combined make ten.'
"'Talent is one. It is the basis of art. Without it any amount of industry is of no value.'
"Then he added a zero and held the one beside it. 'But,' he went on, 'talent and industry combined make ten.'
"At another time he said, 'Academies are only for mediocrity. They are the crutches upon which art students learn to walk. But some of the students are born with wings—those are the geniuses. To them the academy is only a hindrance.'
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Anton von Werner, The Arrival of King Wilhelm I in Saarbrücken on 9th August 1870 |
"Had anybody told him at that time that his pictures would be almost forgotten even before his death, he would have been astounded. So imbued was he with the sense of his own greatness and importance, with such deference was he treated by the high and lowly, that nothing but eternity could have appeared to him as a possible measure of his fame's duration."
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Emil Fuchs, With Pencil, Brush, and Chisel: The Life of an Artist, 1925
Thanks, Christian, Christoph, and Kev.
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