Léo Schnug (17 February 1878, Strasbourg - 15 December 1933, near Brumath) was an Alsatian painter and illustrator of German ancestry.[1]
Sgt. Léo Schnug (1914)Solemn Entry of Emperor Sigismund in Strasbourg in 1414, detail of a 1904 painting by Léo Schnug. Height 3.45 m (11.3 ft), width 8.37 m (27.5 ft). Musée historique de Strasbourg
When he was still very young, his father, a court clerk, was hospitalized for a mental illness. To survive, his mother rented out rooms in their house to performers from the municipal theater [2] and the opera costumes they brought with them became a source of inspiration.
After a few years at the School of Decorative Arts in Strasbourg, Anton Seder, one of his teachers, obtained work for him providing illustrations to Gerlach & Schenk, a Viennese publishing company. He was only seventeen at the time. His studies continued at the Academy of Fine Arts, München, where he studied under Nikolaos Gyzis.[2]
At the outbreak of World War I, he enlisted as a sergeant in the German Army. His excessive drinking brought several reprimands. He was due for more severe punishment, but was saved by the intervention of Wilhelm II, who had honored him with the Order of the Red Eagle for his work on the restoration of the Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg. Eventually, he began paying his bills at the local taverns by drawing small sketches on the tables.[2]
Bookplate, c.1900
His health began to decline rapidly after the war. From 1918 to 1919, he voluntarily entered "Stephansfeld" (the psychiatric hospital where his father was) for rehabilitation. When his father died in 1919, his crisis worsened. Then, when his mother died in 1921, he spent a short time at the Hospices Civil de Strasbourg but suffered a complete breakdown in 1924 and was involuntarily committed to Stephansfeld.[2] He remained there until his death in 1933.
In addition to his regular art work, he also designed costumes, sets and various appurtenances for several public events. A street in Lampertheim (where he grew up) was named in his honor and a portrait of him is in the staircase of the Town Hall.
Referencesedit
^Collectif, Léo Schnug et le Haut-Kœnigsbourg, un invité au château., Strasbourg, Conseil général du Bas-Rhin, mai 2008.
^ abcdAmis de Cercle Saint Léonard: Biography and appreciation of Schnug
Further readingedit
John Howe, At destinys crossroads the art of Leo Schnug, 2017.
Marie-Christine Breitenbach-Wohlfahrt, Léo Schnug ou l’image retrouvée, Association "Mitteleuropa", Schiltigheim, 1997. ISBN2-906995-38-X
Patrick et Bénédicte Hamm, Léo Schnug, 1878-1933 : ses cartes postales, ex-libris et affiches, Jérôme Do Bentzinger, Colmar, 1993.
Nicolas Mengus, Léo Schnug, in the Nouveau dictionnaire de biographie alsacienne, vol. 34, Fédération des sociétés d’histoire et d’archéologie d’Alsace, Strasbourg, 1999, p. 3515-3516
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Léo Schnug.
Karger (European Neurology): Léo Schnug: Alcoholic Dementia as an Unexpected Source of Inspiration for an Artist by François Sellal
Alsatica: Search results for Léo Schnug (texts and images)
ArtNet: Six paintings by Schnug
January 01, 1970
léo, schnug, february, 1878, strasbourg, december, 1933, near, brumath, alsatian, painter, illustrator, german, ancestry, 1914, solemn, entry, emperor, sigismund, strasbourg, 1414, detail, 1904, painting, height, width, musée, historique, strasbourg, contents,. Leo Schnug 17 February 1878 Strasbourg 15 December 1933 near Brumath was an Alsatian painter and illustrator of German ancestry 1 Sgt Leo Schnug 1914 Solemn Entry of Emperor Sigismund in Strasbourg in 1414 detail of a 1904 painting by Leo Schnug Height 3 45 m 11 3 ft width 8 37 m 27 5 ft Musee historique de Strasbourg Contents 1 Biography 1 1 Alcoholism 2 References 3 Further reading 4 External linksBiography editWhen he was still very young his father a court clerk was hospitalized for a mental illness To survive his mother rented out rooms in their house to performers from the municipal theater 2 and the opera costumes they brought with them became a source of inspiration After a few years at the School of Decorative Arts in Strasbourg Anton Seder one of his teachers obtained work for him providing illustrations to Gerlach amp Schenk a Viennese publishing company He was only seventeen at the time His studies continued at the Academy of Fine Arts Munchen where he studied under Nikolaos Gyzis 2 nbsp Jean Baptiste Kleber 1908 He later moved back to Strasbourg and became a member of the Cercle de Saint Leonard where he learned marquetry from Charles Spindler and worked with a coterie of Alsatian artists including Leon Hornecker Henri Loux Alfred Marzolff Georges Ritleng fr Joseph Sattler Lothar von Seebach and Emile Schneider He was heavily influenced by Art Nouveau and Medieval themes Alcoholism edit At the outbreak of World War I he enlisted as a sergeant in the German Army His excessive drinking brought several reprimands He was due for more severe punishment but was saved by the intervention of Wilhelm II who had honored him with the Order of the Red Eagle for his work on the restoration of the Chateau du Haut Kœnigsbourg Eventually he began paying his bills at the local taverns by drawing small sketches on the tables 2 nbsp Bookplate c 1900 His health began to decline rapidly after the war From 1918 to 1919 he voluntarily entered Stephansfeld the psychiatric hospital where his father was for rehabilitation When his father died in 1919 his crisis worsened Then when his mother died in 1921 he spent a short time at the Hospices Civil de Strasbourg but suffered a complete breakdown in 1924 and was involuntarily committed to Stephansfeld 2 He remained there until his death in 1933 In addition to his regular art work he also designed costumes sets and various appurtenances for several public events A street in Lampertheim where he grew up was named in his honor and a portrait of him is in the staircase of the Town Hall References edit Collectif Leo Schnug et le Haut Kœnigsbourg un invite au chateau Strasbourg Conseil general du Bas Rhin mai 2008 a b c d Amis de Cercle Saint Leonard Biography and appreciation of SchnugFurther reading editJohn Howe At destinys crossroads the art of Leo Schnug 2017 Marie Christine Breitenbach Wohlfahrt Leo Schnug ou l image retrouvee Association Mitteleuropa Schiltigheim 1997 ISBN 2 906995 38 X Patrick et Benedicte Hamm Leo Schnug 1878 1933 ses cartes postales ex libris et affiches Jerome Do Bentzinger Colmar 1993 Nicolas Mengus Leo Schnug in the Nouveau dictionnaire de biographie alsacienne vol 34 Federation des societes d histoire et d archeologie d Alsace Strasbourg 1999 p 3515 3516 Gilles Pudlowski Leo Schnug in Dictionnaire amoureux de l Alsace Plon Paris 2010 p 625 627 ISBN 978 2 259 20947 2External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Leo Schnug Karger European Neurology Leo Schnug Alcoholic Dementia as an Unexpected Source of Inspiration for an Artist by Francois Sellal Alsatica Search results for Leo Schnug texts and images ArtNet Six paintings by Schnug Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Leo Schnug amp oldid 1168569159, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
