Artistic Life and Style
Erich Waske was a German painter and visual artist who studied at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Berlin-Charlottenburg. His career saw him participating in various exhibitions, including those of the Neue Secession Berlin, where he was a member from 1918 to 1933. He also exhibited alongside artists such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Max Pechstein. His work included still lifes, figures, and landscapes. In his landscapes, he frequently returned to the motif of erupting volcanoes and crater islands rising from the sea, which served as symbols of the creative power of nature, alongside the more tempestuous elements of storms and sea turbulence.
Described as a "color symphonist," Waske utilized expressive and blunt colors in his compositions. His graphic work included several series, such as Die Offenbarung des Johannes, Die Legende vom Barmherzigen Samariter, and a cycle titled Simson. Beyond canvas and paper, he worked on stained glass, mosaics, and murals, notably designing the interior of the church at Hohenzollernplatz in Berlin-Wilmersdorf.
Historical Context and Legacy
The career of Erich Waske was significantly impacted by the political climate of the 1930s. In 1937, several of his works were confiscated by the National Socialists as part of the "Degenerate Art" campaign, with some of these pieces being destroyed. His professional trajectory was further interrupted by the destruction of his home and studio during a bombing raid on Berlin in 1943, as well as his evacuation to East Prussia.
Following the war, Waske held small exhibitions in Schöneberg and participated in the Great Berlin Art Exhibition in 1959. While much of his work was lost or suppressed during the mid-20th century, a portion of his estate is held in the Berlinische Galerie.
