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About a year ago, when I reviewed the book "Anthroposophy and painting - conversations with seventeen artists" (DuMont Buchverlag) by Munich-based art historian Andreas Maeckler, I received an indignant letter from a reader. In it, the relation between anthroposophy and fascism, or anthroposophy and "social realism", as shown in the paintings of Socialist East Germany, was called an absurdity. Furthermore, the reader felt that my dealing with the context of world-view/ ideology and artistic creation in was decidedly out of place in my review. To begin with, everybody has his own interpretation, and can only subjectively convey what strikes him after reading a highly recommendable book. It should be added that Hella Krause-Zimmer, wrote about this book "of considerable substance" in quite a critical manner as well, even though her remarks pointed in a different direction. direction. (Magazine DAS GOETHEANUM; No. 41, October 13. 1991)
"Many of the things postulated in this book , diverse as they may be, contain a grain of truth, and this subject will continue to occupy our thoughts and discourse. Moreover, we can be sure that there will be a time when every picture and every study in the style propagated by Rudolph Steiner will be re-evaluated. I don`t know whether any of the relevant artists will ever live to see this, but as much as I would wish it for each one of them, it does not disprove the relationship between worldview and artistic creation, as demonstrated by the example of anthroposophically orientated artists. At first sight, the new book presented by the NOVALIS VERLAG (Schaffhausen) in an extraordinarily beautiful edition, contains fewer provocative items. In an indisputably and very instructive overwiev which contains many new ideas, the author enlarges upon the basics of the liberal and pictorial arts in anthroposophically orientated painting. The NOVALIS publishing company did not stint in adding to this fascinating history of transparent colour, which has ist ideological roots in the ancient world, a successful series of coloured illustrations. There are pictures by Turner, Philipp Otto Runge, Paul Cézanne. Paul Seurat, Lyonel Feininger, and numerous "anthroposophical" artists. It is a truly enjoyable book which is a pleasure to pick up and read. But how is the content organized?
The first part consists of a rich fundamental and profound study of the history of anthroposophic art. It is described in detail how Rudolf Steiner's art history originates in the thought of Goethe as well as in modernized classicism. In this context we detect a connection to Manfred Krüger`s ANTHROPOSOPHIE UND KUNST - zur Ästhetik Rudolf Steiners, (Dornach 1988) which dwells elaborately on the same topic.But what was regrettable time and again when reading Krüger`s discourse, was the absence of illustrations to accompany the text. These two aspects have merged beautifully in the work of Andreas Maeckler and his publishing company, Novalis Verlag.Even Rudolph Steiner´s school of painting, originating in the first and second Goetheanum at Dornach, which has ist roots in the historical development of the romantic spirit, symbolism, and art nouveau, can be vividly imagined. This is followed by a sequence with famous artists of the turn of the century. Let us take Fidus (Hugo Höppner, 1868-1948) as an example, who was still dreaming about his own temple constructions, when Rudolf Steiner was already working at his first Goetheanum. His complex relation- ship with Steiner has been portrayed in all ist tragic-comical aspects (up National Socialism), as "a parallel case without consequences". Or Wassily Kandinsky, Alexej Jawlensky, Piet Mondrian and Joseph Beuys - in all these interrelations Andreas Maeckler doesn´t disclose any new aspects, but it suffices to follow his compelling argumentation: Rudolf Steiner`s aesthetics are presented as an original and remarkable achievement of the 2oth century.
In this sense the author links the schools of research that have investigated Rudolf Steiner's part in the art of the 2o.th century. (this has never before been attempted in such detail) The second part of the book is called "Between matter and light - the art history of the transparent colour". The metaphysics of light of the ancients and the christian analogy to the colours of the rainbow as "God`s bond" with man, (genesis 9, 12 ff) are set in relation with the newest research of transcendency and transparency in painting. ( Eckart Heimendahl, Wolfgang Schöne, Heinz Matile) It is noteworthy that in this second third of the book hardly any anthropolsophical authors are quoted. ("Although Heinz Matile is an anthroposophist, one is not aware of this from the content of his basic works.") The more we get involved with this particular chapter of the spiritual, but historically originating theory of colours, the more we realize why these authors are not included. They simply do not exist.
Instead, it becomes very clear what kind of aesthetic possibilities lie in transparent colouring:Harald Küpper`s brilliant colour rhomboid illustrates this convincingly in his tech- nological orientation. But technology, and this has to be understood as theory of cognition - is not condemned by Andreas Maeckler, but for example seen in context with the preparatory work of Philipp Otto Runge`s colour circle. Through this it is demonstrates that (printing)- technique and physiology are very appropriate to transcend a purely intellectual approach to the work, thus becoming more sensitive to the cosmic worlds. This in itself is a true incentive for any painter. The third part of the book follows up the preparatory work of other artists, scientists, and philosphers inspired by Rudolf Steiner. In his capacity as Goethe specialist, Steiner`s relation to Goethe`s colour theory is illustrated historically, and the perspectives of his own continuing work in this direction are examined in theory and practice. In short - The book "The transparency of colour" can be highly recommended to all those who are interested in Rudolf Steiner`s artistic aspirations, in the context of the vast panorama of art history and in the history of the mind.
Bruni Maier: Zeitschrift Info3, Nr. 4 / April 1992, p. 29
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