Andreas Untersberger
Encyclopedia
Andreas Untersberger was an Austria
n painter who worked under the pseudonym
A. Juenger. He created hundreds of illustrations for Catholic
children's books and holy card
s.
from Upper Austria
, who made altar
s and other religious and liturgical objects. He was the brother of Josef August Untersberger (1864-1933), who had gained some fame in the 1920s as a sculptor and painter of religious images under the pseudonym "Giovanni."
; Josef Untersberger worked in the Neo-Romanic
style. He distinguished himself in a local art exhibit in Austria; began work in Munich, Germany, in various workshops; and was noted as having painted three paintings in Odrovice, modern day Czech
. By the turn of the century, Jugendstil
became all the rage, and the church no longer gave out big assignments. Josef Untersberger gave up the family business, and his son Andreas moved to Vienna
.
From 1895 to 1899 Untersberger studied at the University of Applied Arts Vienna
, where he presumably became schooled in the style of the Jugendstil. From 1901 to 1905 he traveled back and forth between Munich and Vienna, until he settled for good in Munich in 1905. He joined artists' societies, locally in Munich and nationally in Berlin, and garnered good reviews of his work, including some non-religious paintings which were on exhibition in the Glasspalast
. In 1932, his work was part of the exhibition in the Deutsches Museum
.
In the last decades of his life he worked almost exclusively for Ars Sacra, a German publishing company, where he illustrated children's books and religious material according to very strict guidelines. He made more than 400 illustrations for holy cards, which, until the press was secularized in 1980, were reprinted again and again. Presumably it was Liane Müller, the director of the press, who suggested Untersberger use the pseudonym "A. Juenger," in order to avoid confusion between Andreas and his older brother, who had a reputation of producing "kitsch
." It appears that in the last years of his life his work went exclusively to Ars Sacra in the last years of his life, since after the Gleichschaltung
religious art became more and more suppressed.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n painter who worked under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
A. Juenger. He created hundreds of illustrations for Catholic
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
children's books and holy card
Holy card
In the Catholic tradition, holy cards or prayer cards are small, devotional pictures mass-produced for the use of the faithful. They typically depict a religious scene or a saint in an image about the size of a playing card. The reverse typically contains a prayer, some of which promise an...
s.
Family tree
Andreas Untersberger was the eighth son of a wood carverWood carving
Wood carving is a form of working wood by means of a cutting tool in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation of a wooden object...
from Upper Austria
Upper Austria
Upper Austria is one of the nine states or Bundesländer of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders on Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as on the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg...
, who made altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
s and other religious and liturgical objects. He was the brother of Josef August Untersberger (1864-1933), who had gained some fame in the 1920s as a sculptor and painter of religious images under the pseudonym "Giovanni."
Career
Andreas Untersberger first worked under his father. At the age of 16 he was assisting him in the building of an altar in KnittelfeldKnittelfeld
Knittelfeld is a city in Styria, Austria, located on the banks of the Mur river.The name of the town has become notorious for the Knittelfeld Putsch of September 7, 2002, a party meeting of the Freedom Party of Austria, which resulted in the 2002 Austrian elections.-External links:* *...
; Josef Untersberger worked in the Neo-Romanic
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
style. He distinguished himself in a local art exhibit in Austria; began work in Munich, Germany, in various workshops; and was noted as having painted three paintings in Odrovice, modern day Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. By the turn of the century, Jugendstil
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
became all the rage, and the church no longer gave out big assignments. Josef Untersberger gave up the family business, and his son Andreas moved to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
From 1895 to 1899 Untersberger studied at the University of Applied Arts Vienna
University of Applied Arts Vienna
The University of Applied Arts Vienna is an institution of higher education in Vienna, the capital of Austria. It has had university status since 1970.-History:...
, where he presumably became schooled in the style of the Jugendstil. From 1901 to 1905 he traveled back and forth between Munich and Vienna, until he settled for good in Munich in 1905. He joined artists' societies, locally in Munich and nationally in Berlin, and garnered good reviews of his work, including some non-religious paintings which were on exhibition in the Glasspalast
Glaspalast (Munich)
The Glaspalast was a glass and iron exhibition building in Munich modeled after The Crystal Palace in London. The Glaspalast opened for the Erste Allgemeine Deutsche Industrieausstellung on July 15, 1854.-Construction:The Glaspalast was ordered by Maximilian II, King of Bavaria, built by MAN AG...
. In 1932, his work was part of the exhibition in the Deutsches Museum
Deutsches Museum
The Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany, is the world's largest museum of technology and science, with approximately 1.5 million visitors per year and about 28,000 exhibited objects from 50 fields of science and technology. The museum was founded on June 28, 1903, at a meeting of the Association...
.
Religious art
In the first two decades of the twentieth century Untersberger illustrated many children's books, many of them religious, including books used in Catholic education.In the last decades of his life he worked almost exclusively for Ars Sacra, a German publishing company, where he illustrated children's books and religious material according to very strict guidelines. He made more than 400 illustrations for holy cards, which, until the press was secularized in 1980, were reprinted again and again. Presumably it was Liane Müller, the director of the press, who suggested Untersberger use the pseudonym "A. Juenger," in order to avoid confusion between Andreas and his older brother, who had a reputation of producing "kitsch
Kitsch
Kitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons while making cheap mass-produced objects that...
." It appears that in the last years of his life his work went exclusively to Ars Sacra in the last years of his life, since after the Gleichschaltung
Gleichschaltung
Gleichschaltung , meaning "coordination", "making the same", "bringing into line", is a Nazi term for the process by which the Nazi regime successively established a system of totalitarian control and tight coordination over all aspects of society. The historian Richard J...
religious art became more and more suppressed.