Alfred Zwiebel (November 6, 1914 - February 25, 2005) was a German-American landscape, floral, and still-life painter.
Early life
He was born in Fürth, in southern Germany, but when he was four, his family moved to the city of Bamberg, today a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its medieval cathedral and many other gems of art and architecture from the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Baroque. It was there that he spent his childhood and youth, and the beauty of that city and its surrounding area, the region of Germany known as "Franconian Switzerland," inspired him from his boyhood to the end of his life.
Soon after the Nazis came to power, Zwiebel and his family left Germany; he and his four siblings were raised as Lutherans by their mother, but his father was Jewish, as well as politically active against the Nazis. In 1935, Zwiebel immigrated to the United States, living first in Milwaukee and then settling in New York City, where in 1941 he married Clara Fried, a portrait painter who had studied with American Realist artist Tully Filmus. They had one child, a daughter. Zwiebel served in the U.S. Army during World War II and became an American citizen in 1944.
For the next 20 years he worked at a variety of "day jobs," painting whenever he had free time. Among other things, he worked as a baker, ski salesman, and commercial artist. From 1949-1953, he was a radio personality in New York City, where he had a weekly program, "Music From Alfred Zwiebel's Collection," on station WABF,[1] playing opera and classical music recordings from his own extensive collection (opera was another of his lifelong passions). He also occasionally wrote articles on music for publication.[2] Two singers engaged at the Metropolitan Opera in the 1950s and '60s, Lisa Della Casa and Anneliese Rothenberger, studied painting with him while in New York.,[3][4]
Artistic Career and Exhibitions
By the 1960s, he was able to devote himself to painting full-time. In the ensuing decades, his work was shown in galleries and museums across the United States, and in England, Austria and his native Germany, where he achieved particular critical acclaim. (Excerpts from some reviews are included below.)
When in 1977 Countess and Count Lennart Bernadotte opened a public art gallery in their castle on Mainau Island, a popular tourist site on Lake Constance (Bodensee) because of its spectacular gardens, Zwiebel was invited to give the inaugural exhibition.[5] He was also invited by the city of Bamberg to give an exhibition as part of the city's 1,000th-anniversary celebration in 1973[6] and to take part in the special exhibition marking the 975th anniversary of the Bamberg Cathedral in 1987.[7] Two of his works are represented in the catalog of that exhibition, "Symbol-Object-Motif: The Bamberg Cathedral and its Representation in Painting, Graphics and Other Art Forms from the Middle Ages to the Present."[8]
In 1993, the Bamberg Historical Museum (Historisches Museum Bamberg), which also owns two of his works, gave a major retrospective exhibition of his work.[9] Other selected exhibitions include:
1963, The Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, New York: "Contemporary Flower Paintings"[10]
1968, Galerie Schumacher, Munich, Germany: "ALFRED ZWIEBEL, New York"[11]
1971, Art Association of Harrisburg, PA and Livingston Gallery, New York, NY: "The Five Media Show"[12]
1980, Antiquariat Heinemann, Starnberg, Germany: "Exhibition of Paintings by Alfred Zwiebel, New York"[13]
1992, Mary Anthony Fine Art Gallery, New Hope, Pennsylvania: "Exhibition of Internationally Known 20th-Century Impressionist ALFRED ZWIEBEL"[14]
Work
Zwiebel worked in oil, pastel, and oil pastel (also called oilstick). Some of his work was done using rather dark values, especially a number of landscapes painted largely in blue and purple tones. Generally, however, Zwiebel was known for the vibrancy of his palette, as evidenced, for example, in the following press review (entitled "Optimism Expressed in Color"):
Color is the most important element in this artist's paintings; forms are reduced to a minimum, though they remain recognizable. This manner of painting embodies a positive and optimistic outlook: The clouds above Lake Starnberg cannot completely hide the sun; plays of color give voice to the certitude that even the most stubborn periods of bad weather will eventually end. The Bamberg Cathedral, one of the painter's favorite subjects, conveys life and warmth even in a blizzard; a "landscape in the fog" doesn't disappear into the mist, but remains a landscape from which the fog will soon lift. In his flower paintings, the artist is less interested in painting flowers as such; rather, he transforms a bouquet into a fantasy of light and color.[15]
Style and Influences
Zwiebel was artistically somewhat out of sync with many of the artists of his own and subsequent generations, as he felt alienated by, and rejected, much of 20th-century modernism, particularly Abstract Expressionism. He felt the deepest affinity for Impressionism. The individual artists by whom he was most strongly influenced were Claude Monet (like Monet, he was fascinated by water lilies and made a great number of paintings of them), Camille Pissarro, Vincent van Gogh, and, in his flower paintings, Odilon Redon. When asked to which stylistic movement he felt he most belonged, he replied, "An artist must be free to work in whatever style the moment calls for, but if anything, I would call myself a modern impressionist." [15]
Although some of his paintings are more post-impressionistic or even expressionistic in style, most art critics who reviewed his work also called him an Impressionist:
"Zwiebel is an 'admitted romanticist' and adds he's quite proud of this fact. Many of his canvases have the lyrical beauty of the French Impressionists. Looking over the walls of the Zwiebel home, soft pastels shimmer about. Paintings of a Long Island pond, a cabbage patch in Scarsdale, have much of the beauty of the great landscapes of Monet and Pissarro." [16]
"Zwiebel has a capacity of feeling as turbulent as van Gogh, as soft as Turner, and as impressionistic as Monet." [17]
"Alfred Zwiebel uses the impressionistic technique with all its wealth of light, nuanced play of color, and open palette, and this breathes life into what he paints. ... One could call Zwiebel a belated Pissarro, but with the caveat that he is a Pissarro for contemporary eyes."[18]
"Zwiebel, whose models have always been the great Impressionists, has intentionally remained apart from the 'Moderns'... He stayed with Impressionism. But he has achieved, as the paintings exhibited here prove, mastery in this style. His landscapes are imbued with life; his flower still lifes have an almost tropical opulence of colors and forms. To view these works gives one great pleasure." [19]
"Zwiebel has often been called a 'modern impressionist.' His works, with all their nuances of light and richness of palate [sic], are predominantly impressionistic in style although they also have a uniquely individual expressionist character, wherein the inner essence of a subject is more important than its outward form."[20]
Later Years and Death
Zwiebel continued to paint until the end of his life, although in his later years he had to struggle with failing eyesight and loss of color perception due to cataracts, as well as with Alzheimer's disease. He died of pneumonia in New York City at the age of 90.
Notes
http://www.jjonz.us/RadioLogs/pagesnfiles/logs_files/1950s/1952/52_10Oct/%5Bn%5D52-10-22-(Wed).pdf.
See, for example: Alfred Zwiebel, "Whatever Happened to Heldentenors?", MUSIC JOURNAL magazine, Vol. XXI, No. 7/October 1963, pp. 26-28.
Debeljevic, Dragan (1975), Ein Leben mit Lisa Della Casa (A Life with Lisa Della Casa), Atlantis Verlag, Zürich, ISBN 3-7611-0474-X, p. 151: "As long as we lived in Forest Hills, we socialized with a couple, both of whom were painters, Clara and Alfred Zwiebel. [They] painted in different styles, [she] in a more academic manner, [he] very impressionistically; we took a lively part in the discussions about this, and my wife often watched the prolific Alfred while he painted. ... She discovered painting; Clara and Alfred initiated her into the techniques, and she painted in every free minute. She was often urged to exhibit her pictures, but she declined." (The original German reads: "Solange wir in Forest Hills wohnten, verkehrten wir mit einem Malerehepaar, Clara und Alfred Zwiebel. [Sie] malten verschieden, [sie] eher akademisch, [er] ungestüm impressionistisch; wir beteiligten uns lebhaft an den Diskussionen darüber, und meine Frau sah oft dem produktivten Alfred bein Malen zu. ... Sie entdeckte das Malen; Clara und Alfred weihten sie ins Handwerkliche ein, sie malte in jeder freien Minute. Mehrmals wurde sie aufgefordert, ihre Bilder auszustellen, aber sie lehnte es ab.")
"Die schönsten 'Zwiebeln' hängen an der Wand" ("The most beautiful 'Zwiebels' are on the wall," [N.B.: a play on words, as "Zwiebel" in German can mean "flower bulb," and Mainau is an island famous for its floral gardens]), Mainau-Inselpost magazine, Nr. 1, April 1977, p. 6: "... We mean the exhibition of paintings by Alfred Zwiebel of New York in the Castle's Hall of Heraldry. From April 1st to May 8th, visitors to Mainau will be able to see paintings by this noted artist. Alfred Zwiebel, incidentally, was Anneliese Rothenberger's painting and drawing teacher when she was in New York for a protracted stay." (The original reads, "... Gemeint ist die Gemälde-Ausstellung des Künstlers Alfred Zwiebel aus New York im Wappensaal des Schlosses. Vom 1. April bis 8. Mai werden die Mainau-Besucher die Bilder des bekannten Malers sehen können. Alfred Zwiebel war übrigens der Mal- und Zeichenlehrer von Anneliese Rothenberger während eines längeren Amerika-Aufenthalts der Künstlerin.") A. Rothenberger later made a successful career as a painter after she retired from singing.
Exhibition entitled,"Malerische Impressionen von Alfred Zwiebel, New York" ("Painterly Impressions by Alfred Zwiebel, New York"), Mainau Castle, Mainau Island, Germany, April 1-May 8, 1977. See also Note 4.
"An Exhibition of Paintings by Alfred Zwiebel, New York, Presented by the City of Bamberg as Part of the Celebration of the 1,000-Year Anniversary of Its Founding" (exhibition brochures were issued in both English and German; in German the title read, "Anlässlich der Feier ihres 1000-jährigen Bestehens zeigt die Stadt Bamberg eine Ausstellung von Werken des Malers Alfred Zwiebel, New York"), E.T.A.-Hoffmann City Theater of Bamberg, September, 1973. Reviewed in Fränkischer Tag, Bamberg, Sept.1973 "Impressionen in Öl und Pastell: Ausstellung von Werken Zwiebels im Foyer des E.T.A.-Hoffmann-Theaters" ("Impressions in Oil and Pastel: Exhibit of Works by Zwiebel in the Foyer of the E.T.A.-Hoffmann Theater").
Exhibition entitled,"750 Jahre Bamberger Dom" ("750 Years of the Bamberg Cathedral"), Bamberg Historical Museum Old Royal Court wing (Historisches Museum Bamberg in der Alten Hofhaltung), May 2-October 31, 1987.
Hennig, Lothar, Symbol-Objekt-Motiv: Der Bamberger Dom und seine Darstellungen in Malerei, Graphik und Kunsthandwerk vom Mittelalter bis in die Gegenwart, Schriften des Historischen Museums Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany, 1987, pp. 302-303, 345.
Exhibition entitled, "IMPRESSIONEN 1967-1993: Malerei von Alfred Zwiebel, New York" ("IMPRESSIONS 1967-1993: Paintings by Alfred Zwiebel, New York"), Bamberg Historical Museum Old Royal Court wing, April 25-May 31, 1993. See Andreas Funke, "Ein Blick zurück auf die ferne Heimat: In der Alten Hofhaltung in Bamberg sind Arbeiten von Alfred Zwiebel ausgestellt" ("A Look Back at the Distant Homeland: Works of Alfred Zwiebel Shown in the Old Royal Court in Bamberg"), Fränkischer Tag, Bamberg, 5. May 1993, "Kultur" section, p.11.
CONTEMPORARY FLOWER PAINTINGS, Presented in conjunction with the Annual Rose Show of the Southampton Garden Club, June 15–29, 1963, Exhibition booklet, The Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, NY, p.4.
Galerie Schumacher, Theatinerstr. 33/1, Munich; January 4–31, 1968.
The Art Association of Harrisburg with International Art Exchange Corp. of New York presents "THE FIVE MEDIA SHOW" Exhibition of paintings and sculptures, Art Association of Harrisburg, Nov. 7-21, and Livingston Gallery, 49 E. 91 St., New York, NY, Dec. 1-19, 1971; Exhibition booklet, pp.5-6.
"Gemälde-Ausstellung Alfred Zwiebel, New York," Antiquariat Heinemann, Hanfelder Str. 6 (Centrum), Starnberg, May 16-June 8, 1980.
Mary Anthony Fine Art Gallery, 35 Ferry St., New Hope, PA, August 8–31, 1992. See also Note 20.
Angelika Herrmann,"Alfred Zwiebel aus New York zeigt: Optimismus, der sich in Farben ausdrückt, Ausstellung im Antiquariat Heinemann in Starnberg" ("Alfred Zwiebel of New York is showing: Optimism Expressed in Color, Exhibition at Heinemann Antiques in Starnberg"), Starnberger-Merkur[?], Starnberg, Germany, 1980. (The original German text reads: [a] "Die Farben sind tatsächlich das Wichtigste an den Bildern des Künstlers, die Formen sind auf ein Mindestmaß zurückgeführt, wenn auch noch erkennbar. Hinter dieser Art zu malen verbirgt sind [sic] eine positive und optimistische Grundhaltung: Die Wolken über dem Starnberger See können die Sonne nicht ganz verbergen, Farbspielereien geben der Gewißheit Ausdruck, daß auch die hartnäckigste Schlechtwetterperiode einmal ein Ende hat. Der Bamberger Dom, eine der Lieblingsmotive des Malers, vermittelt noch im Schneetreiben einen lebendigen und warmen Eindruck, die "Landschaft im Nebel" ertrinkt nicht darin, sondern bleibt Landschaft, der Nebel wird sich bald heben. In den Blumenbildern zeigt der Künstler weniger Interesse an den Blumen, er wandelt den Strauß vielmehr in eine Licht- und Farbenphantasie um." [b]"Ein Künstler muß frei sein und arbeiten, wie der Moment es verlangt. Wenn überhaupt, dann nenne ich mich einen modernen Impressionisten.")
William A. Raidy, "'Ape and Worm' School of Painting Appalls Long Island Artist," Long Island Sunday Press, New York, Second News Section, November 9, 1958.
"Aus Münchner Galerien/Prominenz bei Schumacher" ("From Munich Galleries/Celebrities at Schumacher's"), Süddeutsche Zeitung, Munich, Germany, 16 January 1968. The original German text reads: "Zwiebel hat die Fähigkeit, gleichzeitig so wild wie van Gogh, so weich wie Turner und so impressionistisch wie Monet zu empfinden."
"Zwiebel-Ausstellung bei Schumacher" ("Zwiebel Exhibition at Schumacher's"), Die Abendzeitung, Munich, Germany, 9 January 1968. p.7. The original German text reads: "Alfred Zwiebel bedient sich der impressionistischen Technik, mit allen Möglichkeiten der Lichtfülle, des nuancierten Farbenspiels und der offenen Palette. So bringt er Leben in die Darstellung... Man könnte Zwiebel einen verspäteten Pissarro nennen, jedoch mit dem Beding, daß er ein Pissarro für heutige Augen ist. Chri."
Karl Lemke, "Sonderausstellung Alfred Zwiebel" ("Special Exhibit of Alfred Zwiebel"), Münchner Jüdische Nachrichten, Munich, Germany, 12 January 1968, p.2, Nr.2. The original German text reads: "Zwiebel, dessen Vorbilder stets die großen Impressionisten waren, hält sich bewußt abseits der 'Moderne' ... Er blieb beim Impressionismus. Hier aber erreichte er, wie die ausgestellten Werke beweisen, Meisterschaft. Seine Landschaften sind von eindringlicher Lebendigkeit, seine Blumenstilleben zuweilen von einer fast tropischen Üppigkeit der Farben und Formen. Man verweilt vor ihnen mit Freude."
"Gallery Highlights: Alfred Zwiebel at Mary Anthony Gallery," The Nouveau Magazine (New Hope, PA), Vol. XII, No. 7, August 1992, p. 17.
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