Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack
Encyclopedia
Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack was a German/Australian artist.
His formative education was 1912-1914 at Debschitz art school
in Munich
, and 1922 at the Bauhaus-University Weimar where following Kurt Schwerdtfeger he further developed "Farblichtmusiken" ('coloured-light-music'), a light and colour modulator which provided a visual translation of music; in fact an early form of multimedia. Hirschfeld Mack was joint participant, with the former Bauhaus master Gertrud Grunow, in the Second Congress of color-sound research in 1930 in Hamburg
. Music and colour theory remained life-long interests, informing his art production in a number of media, and it was the inspiration for his well-respected and influential teaching.
and Wilhelm von Debschitz in Munich, taking art history with Heinrich Woelfflin and Fritz Burger. During the First World War, Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack was an infantry officer.
1920, he was a student in printmaking at the Bauhaus in Weimar
, from which he graduated in 1921 in etching, then in 1924, obtained a Bauhaus graduate diploma in lithography under the tutelage of Lyonel Feininger
. He remained there until 1926 and conducted experiments in light projection following Kurt Schwerdtfeger in developing the "Farbenlichtspiele" (colour-light play). After the war in 1963, while visiting Europe Ludwig was invited by the Bauhaus-Archiv, Darmstadt
, Germany, to reconstruct the instrument which was filmed for the archive.
In 1926, Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack taught art in the Free School in Wickersdorf. In 1929 he as appointed at the University of Craft and Architecture in Weimar as a teacher of color and general morphology. Just one year later, he became professor at the Pedagogical Academy in Frankfurt (Oder). 1932 he taught at the University of Kiel
, until that was closed in 1933 by the Nazis. He moved in 1935 to the Jöde-Schule/Güntherschule in Berlin and taught the construction of simple musical instrument
s. Hirschfeld Mack had married Elenor Wirth in 1917 and entered the Society of Friends, but because of his part-Jewish heritage fled the Nazis and emigrated to England in 1936. There he taught art for the Subsistence Production Society, a Quaker Depression-era sustenance program of the Eastern Valley of Monmouthshire in South Wales. His wife remained in Germany while daughter Margarita that year followed him into English exile. However his other daughter Ursel (17) committed suicide in Germany in 1937. The Museum of Modern Art
, New York, included his work in its Bauhaus retrospective of 1938.
In 1940 Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack was deported to Australia as an "enemy alien
" on the ship HMT Dunera
, spending time in internment camps in Hay
, Orange
and Tatura
, before being granted Australian citizenship
. Imprisonment and the longing for freedom were the theme of his small, stark, poignant relief print
s of this period, including the woodcut
Desolation, Internment Camp, Hay 1941. He was mentor to other internees including Erwin Fabian. He taught at the Geelong Church of England Grammar School in Victoria, introducing the boys to colour-coded guitars and colour 'organs'. He became the art master of the School and was guest lecturer at the University of Melbourne
, where he also exhibited his work in 1946. He showed also at the Peter Bray Gallery, Melbourne, in 1953. When Walter Gropius
came to lecture at the Royal Australian Institute of Architects convention in Sydney in 1954 he made a special trip to Geelong Grammar School
to visit his former colleague.
Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack died on 7 January 1965 at Allambie Heights, in Sydney.
In retirement in 1963 he published The Bauhaus: An Introductory Survey .
Olive Hirschfeld also donated a collection of her late husband's paintings, prints and drawings to the National Gallery of Australia, and numbers of his works, many from his internment at nearby Tatura, can be found at the Shepparton Regional Art Gallery
His formative education was 1912-1914 at Debschitz art school
Art school
Art school is a general term for any educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. The term applies to institutions with elementary, secondary, post-secondary or undergraduate, or graduate or...
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, and 1922 at the Bauhaus-University Weimar where following Kurt Schwerdtfeger he further developed "Farblichtmusiken" ('coloured-light-music'), a light and colour modulator which provided a visual translation of music; in fact an early form of multimedia. Hirschfeld Mack was joint participant, with the former Bauhaus master Gertrud Grunow, in the Second Congress of color-sound research in 1930 in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. Music and colour theory remained life-long interests, informing his art production in a number of media, and it was the inspiration for his well-respected and influential teaching.
Life
Hirschfeld Mack was born in Frankfurt am Main and attended Arts and Music School in Frankfurt, and later was taught by Hermann ObristHermann Obrist
Hermann Obrist was a German sculptor of the Jugendstil movement. He studied Botany and History in his youth whose influence one can perceive in his later work in the field of applied arts...
and Wilhelm von Debschitz in Munich, taking art history with Heinrich Woelfflin and Fritz Burger. During the First World War, Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack was an infantry officer.
1920, he was a student in printmaking at the Bauhaus in Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
, from which he graduated in 1921 in etching, then in 1924, obtained a Bauhaus graduate diploma in lithography under the tutelage of Lyonel Feininger
Lyonel Feininger
Lyonel Charles Feininger was a German-American painter, and a leading exponent of Expressionism. He also worked as a caricaturist and comic strip artist.-Life and work:...
. He remained there until 1926 and conducted experiments in light projection following Kurt Schwerdtfeger in developing the "Farbenlichtspiele" (colour-light play). After the war in 1963, while visiting Europe Ludwig was invited by the Bauhaus-Archiv, Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
, Germany, to reconstruct the instrument which was filmed for the archive.
In 1926, Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack taught art in the Free School in Wickersdorf. In 1929 he as appointed at the University of Craft and Architecture in Weimar as a teacher of color and general morphology. Just one year later, he became professor at the Pedagogical Academy in Frankfurt (Oder). 1932 he taught at the University of Kiel
University of Kiel
The University of Kiel is a university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in 1665 as the Academia Holsatorum Chiloniensis by Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and has approximately 23,000 students today...
, until that was closed in 1933 by the Nazis. He moved in 1935 to the Jöde-Schule/Güntherschule in Berlin and taught the construction of simple musical instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
s. Hirschfeld Mack had married Elenor Wirth in 1917 and entered the Society of Friends, but because of his part-Jewish heritage fled the Nazis and emigrated to England in 1936. There he taught art for the Subsistence Production Society, a Quaker Depression-era sustenance program of the Eastern Valley of Monmouthshire in South Wales. His wife remained in Germany while daughter Margarita that year followed him into English exile. However his other daughter Ursel (17) committed suicide in Germany in 1937. The Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, New York, included his work in its Bauhaus retrospective of 1938.
In 1940 Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack was deported to Australia as an "enemy alien
Enemy alien
In law, an enemy alien is a citizen of a country which is in a state of conflict with the land in which he or she is located. Usually, but not always, the countries are in a state of declared war.-United Kingdom:...
" on the ship HMT Dunera
HMT Dunera
His Majesty's Transport Dunera was a British passenger ship built as a troop transport in the late 1930s. She also operated as a passenger liner and as an educational cruise ship. Dunera saw extensive service throughout the Second World War....
, spending time in internment camps in Hay
Hay, New South Wales
Hay is a town in the western Riverina region of south western New South Wales , Australia. It is the administrative centre of Hay Shire Local Government Area and the centre of a prosperous and productive agricultural district on the wide Hay Plains....
, Orange
Orange, New South Wales
Orange is a city in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is west of the state capital, Sydney, at an altitude of . Orange has an estimated population of 39,329 and the city is a major provincial centre....
and Tatura
Tatura, Victoria
Tatura is a town 17 km west-south-west of Shepparton in Victoria, Australia located 3 km off the Midland Highway, forming part of the City of Greater Shepparton. At the 2006 census, Tatura had a population of 3,533, however the true figure is believed to be close to 4,400. Attractions...
, before being granted Australian citizenship
Australian nationality law
Australian nationality law determines who is and who is not an Australian, and is based primarily on the principle of Jus soli. The status of Australian citizenship was created by the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 which received Royal Assent on 21 December 1948 and came into force on...
. Imprisonment and the longing for freedom were the theme of his small, stark, poignant relief print
Relief print
A relief print is an image created by a printmaking process where protruding surface faces of the matrix are inked; recessed areas are ink free. Printing the image is therefore a relatively simple matter of inking the face of the matrix and bringing it in firm contact with the paper...
s of this period, including the woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
Desolation, Internment Camp, Hay 1941. He was mentor to other internees including Erwin Fabian. He taught at the Geelong Church of England Grammar School in Victoria, introducing the boys to colour-coded guitars and colour 'organs'. He became the art master of the School and was guest lecturer at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
, where he also exhibited his work in 1946. He showed also at the Peter Bray Gallery, Melbourne, in 1953. When Walter Gropius
Walter Gropius
Walter Adolph Georg Gropius was a German architect and founder of the Bauhaus School who, along with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier, is widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modern architecture....
came to lecture at the Royal Australian Institute of Architects convention in Sydney in 1954 he made a special trip to Geelong Grammar School
Geelong Grammar School
Geelong Grammar School is an independent, Anglican, co-educational, boarding and day school. The school's main campus is located at Corio, on the northern outskirts of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, overlooking Corio Bay and Limeburners Bay....
to visit his former colleague.
Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack died on 7 January 1965 at Allambie Heights, in Sydney.
Exhibitions
- Work represented in Bauhaus: 1919-1925 MOMA New York 1938
- University of Melbourne, 1946
- Solo exhibition Peter Bray Gallery, 435 Bourke St., Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1953
- Memorial exhibition at University Gallery Melbourne, 1981
- The Great Australian Art Exhibition 1788-1988 Art Gallery of South Australia, 1988
Publications
He produced an explanatory text of the Farbenlichtspiele in 1923 , also an article, "Reflected-Light Compositions…" (1925)In retirement in 1963 he published The Bauhaus: An Introductory Survey .
The Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack Collection
The Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack Collection was presented Melbourne University in 1971 and 1980 by Hirschfeld Mack’s widow, Olive Hirschfeld. The collection contains over six hundred works by Hirschfeld Mack, including almost three hundred drawings, over two hundred prints, ninety-one watercolours and sixty-nine paintings. In addition the University of Melbourne Archives houses material including correspondence, teaching aids, drawings, photographs and slides.Olive Hirschfeld also donated a collection of her late husband's paintings, prints and drawings to the National Gallery of Australia, and numbers of his works, many from his internment at nearby Tatura, can be found at the Shepparton Regional Art Gallery