Ritschl, Otto August Eduard

Painter, Writer

Born: 09.08.1885 in Erfurt

died: 01.07.1976 in Wiesbaden

After working in administration, Ritschl joined the Nassauische Landesbank in Wiesbaden in 1908 in order to make a name for himself as a playwright.

Around 1918, he turned vehemently to painting. Expressionists such as Oskar Kokoschka, Herwarth Walden's "Sturm" circle and painting lessons with Erna Pinner in Frankfurt am Main gave him his first orientation. His contact with Conrad Felixmüller was decisive for him. In 1919, Ritschl had his first exhibition at the Nassauischer Kunstverein e.V., of which he soon became a member of the board. He was involved in the founding of the Volkshochschule Wiesbaden e.V., where he gave lectures and courses. He was also involved in socio-political issues and acted as a representative of the artists during the French occupation of Wiesbaden after the First World War, resolutely advocating the freedom and independence of artists. In 1924, he founded a business association to solve financial problems.

In 1925, Ritschl took part in the legendary "New Objectivity" exhibition in Mannheim. He then abruptly ended his previous path. In the same year, he founded the Wiesbaden Free Artists' Association, which he chaired until 1933. A prominent member was Alexej von Jawlensky, whom Ritschl had known since 1921. He was also on friendly terms with the sculptor Arnold Hensler and the painter and architect Edmund Fabry. During the 1920s, Ritschl spent several times in Paris, where he was inspired by works of Cubism and Surrealism. "Pictures and Signs" was the title of the non-figurative exhibition organized by the Nassauischer Kunstverein e.V. in 1932, in which he was represented. At its next stop, the Museum Folkwang Essen, it was immediately closed by the National Socialists.

After the war, Ritschl took a fundamental interest in the art that had been created around Pablo Picasso in particular. He sought contact with fellow artists such as Ernst Wilhelm Nay and Max Ackermann. His presence at "documenta" I (1955) and II (1959) and his move into his own studio in 1960 were highlights. It was here that Ritschl, who also stood as a representative of an "abstraction froide", began his late work, which was repeatedly characterized by cycles and series and time-shifted adaptations, with the utmost discipline. His ultimate goal was "the picture that wants to be nothing, but only is".