Composition

Early Life and Artistic Training

Peter Röhl was born in Kiel, Germany, on 12 September 1890. His early years were shaped by the practicalities of craft, beginning with an apprenticeship as a painter in 1906. This period of manual training provided a foundation for his later explorations in graphic arts and design. Between 1907 and 1911, he moved through the schools of applied arts in Kiel and Berlin, refining his technical approach to form and line.

His studies continued at the Weimar Saxon Grand Ducal Art School. There, he worked under the guidance of Walther Klemm and Albin Egger-Lienz. This formal education in Weimar helped shape his understanding of composition before the disruptions of the First World War. After serving in the military, he eventually found his way to the Bauhaus, where he was a master student from 1919 to 1921.

The Bauhaus and De Stijl Years

The years spent at the Bauhaus were marked by a shift toward structured design and the influence of new theories. During his first semester, he sat in on the preliminary lectures given by Johannes Itten. This period of study was not merely academic; it was a time of personal transition as well. In 1919 or April 1920, he married his fellow student, Alexandra Röhl. Their life was closely tied to the school's environment, even as the complexities of domestic life and the demands of the era began to shape their path.

His hand was present in the very identity of the school, having designed the first Bauhaus signet. This small, functional mark helped define the visual language of the institution. His studio became a meeting point for ideas that extended beyond the official curriculum. In 1922, his space served as the venue for Theo van Doesburg’s extra-curricular De Stijl lectures, bringing the geometric rigor of the movement into his immediate surroundings. He remained a master student at the Bauhaus until 1921, absorbing the tension between expression and construction.

Teaching and Professional Career

In 1926, Röhl moved into a teaching role at the Frankfurt Städelschule. This period of instruction lasted until 1942, when he was dismissed from his position. Following this, his life took a different turn as he was sent to the front as a soldier and later became a prisoner of war. After returning to Germany in 1946, he settled in Kiel, where he remained for the rest of his life.

His later years in Kiel were marked by a return to the classroom and a continued presence in the local art scene. Between 1952 and 1955, he taught at the Goetheschule in Kiel. Even after his time in the school ended, he continued to work as a freelance artist in the city. He remained active in this capacity until his death in 1975.

Key Works and Output

His early output shows a focus on the landscape, such as the 1912 work Landschaft mit Sonnenuntergang und Figur. By 1916, his approach shifted toward the structural, seen in the mixed media and paper piece titled Abstract Composition. These early experiments with form and line suggest a developing interest in how space is organized on a surface.

The years following his time at the Bauhaus brought a more disciplined, geometric sensibility to his practice. In 1922, he produced an Untitled work using India ink on paper, a medium that allowed for precise, controlled marks. This period also saw the creation of Composition, a work that reflects his engagement with the formal logic of the era. By 1930, his work Hilly Landscape demonstrated a continued interest in topographical forms, rendered in oil on canvas.

• Landschaft mit Sonnenuntergang und Figur (1912)
• Abstract Composition (1916)
• Untitled (1922)
• Hilly Landscape (1930)

Where to See His Works Today

His drawings and paintings remain in several collections across Germany. You can find his traces in the museums of Schleswig, Kiel, Hannover, Ludwigshafen, and Erfurt. These pieces sit in various institutional archives, holding the marks of his time as a designer and graphic artist. Some of his work is kept within the collections at the Bauhaus University in Weimar.

Specific pieces are held in the State Museum of Art and Cultural History at Schloss Gottorf. His presence is also felt at the Künstlermuseum Heikendorf. These locations house the physical remains of his practice, from ink on paper to oil on canvas, preserved in the quiet spaces of these galleries and museums.