This article's
lead sectionmay be too short to adequately
summarize the key points. Please consider expanding the lead to
provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article.(June 2021)
Ferdinand Lepcke (or Lepke) (March 23, 1866 – March 12, 1909) was a German
sculptor, who in particular realized two major monuments in
Bydgoszcz: the
Deluge Fountain and
The Archer. He received a golden medal at the Great Berlin Art Exhibition and, the Berlin Minister for Spiritual Education and Medical Affairs awarded him the title of professor.
The family moved to
Berlin at the end of his early childhood. After graduating from
gymnasium, Ferdinand started studies at the Berlin
Academy of Arts.[2] He stayed there several years, from 1883 and 1890. During two years (1888-1890), he studied under the guidance of artist professor
Fritz Schaper.[3] He additionally honed his skills in the sculpture
atelier of the Biber brothers and in the
Kunstgewerbemuseum studio of the German capital.
He cherished the
neoclassical style, had become ubiquitous in Germany since the mid-1850s with pioneers such as
Johann Gottfried Schadow (1764-1850) and
Christian Daniel Rauch (1777-1857). Actually, Lepcke felt closer to the spirit of the old masters than the trendy
Art Nouveau. In his late years, however, he acknowledged his interest in nascent movements such as
Jugendstil or
Art Deco.[3] This attachment to classical sculpture emanated from his passion for
Antiquity.[1]
In 1893, at the age of 27, he was awarded by the
Prussian Academy of Arts the great state prize, consisting of a
scholarship year in
Rome: there he could refine his knowledge of ancient sculpture. Further study trips took him France and
Copenhagen, Denmark.[3] At this time, he was already a valued artist and a sought-after sculptor.
In 1897, Ferdinand moved back to Berlin and took the position of professor at the Academy of Arts. He was admitted to the artistic group of the Berliner Künstverein.
In 1903, the artist received a golden medal at the
Great Berlin Art Exhibition. On June 8, 1905, the Berlin Minister for Spiritual Education and Medical Affairs awarded him the title of
professor.
Ferdinand Lepcke died of
pneumonia on March 19, 1909, in Berlin, at the age of 42.
Notable works
Lepcke created small artworks (like
busts) as well as large monuments.[3]
Bildhauer (English: The sculptor), statue,
sandstone (1893)[6] bought by the
Berlin National Gallery and placed in the columned hall in February 1897.[7] Lost;
Die Schreibende (English: The writer),
plaster (1894)[8]
In
Bydgoszcz, Lepcke designed and created two of the most famous landmarks of the city:[22]
the statue of The Archer (
German: Bogenspannerin-
Polish: Łuczniczka). Unveiled in 1910, the naked sculpture, displayed in the downtown of
Bromberg, aroused a lot of emotions and words of indignation. After the
re-creation of the Polish state in 1918, the artwork was told to have been "intentionally set by the Prussian invader to scandalize Polish society";[3]
In addition to the exhibitions in his native city of Coburg, Ferdinand Lepcke was the center of an exposition in Bydgoszcz, from December 18, 2014, to March 15, 2015, in the
Regional Museum in Bydgoszcz located on
Mill Island.[23]
^
abBłażejewski Stanisław, Kutta Janusz, Romaniuk Marek (2000). Bydgoski Słownik Biograficzny. Tom VI. Bydgoszcz: Kujawsko-Pomorskie Towarzystwo Kulturalne Wojewódzki Ośrodek Kultury. pp. 61–62.
ISBN8385327584.
^"Ferdinand Lepcke". rkd.nl. RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History. 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
^
abcdefPiotr Winter, Jerzy Derenda (1996). Bydgoska Łuczniczka i jej kopie. Bydgoszcz: Towarzystwo Miłośników Miasta Bydgoszczy. pp. 14–15, 45, 63.
ISBN8390323141.
^
abcNicky Heise, Susanne Kähler, Klaus Weschenfelder (2012). Ferdinand Lepcke (1866–1909). Monographie und Werkverzeichnis. Coburg: Kunstsammlungen der Veste Coburg. pp. 178–197, 195–210, 215–223.
ISBN9783874720922.
(in German) Nicky Heise, Susanne Kähler, Klaus Weschenfelder (2012). Ferdinand Lepcke (1866–1909). Monographie und Werkverzeichnis. Coburg: Kunstsammlungen der Veste Coburg.
ISBN9783874720922.
(in German) Nicky Heise, Susanne Kähler, Inga Kopciewicz, Stefan Pastuszewski, Marek Romaniuk, Klaus Weschenfelder (2014). Ferdinand Lepcke 1866–1909. Bydgoszcz.
ISBN9788363572921.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
(in German) Heise, Nicky (2014). Ferdinand Lepcke. Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon. Berlin: Band 84, de Gruyter. p. 160.
ISBN9783110231892.
(in German) Heise, Nicky (2016). Ferdinand Lepcke (1866–1909) – Ein Berliner Bildhauer um 1900. Das Teltower Land. Heimat-Magazin 2015/16. Berlin: Buchkontor Teltow. pp. 149–164.
ISBN9783981586541.
(in Polish) Błażejewski Stanisław, Kutta Janusz, Romaniuk Marek (2000). Bydgoski Słownik Biograficzny. Tom VI. Bydgoszcz: Kujawsko-Pomorskie Towarzystwo Kulturalne Wojewódzki Ośrodek Kultury. pp. 61–62.
ISBN8385327584.
(in Polish) Piotr Winter, Jerzy Derenda (1996). Bydgoska Łuczniczka i jej kopie. Bydgoszcz: Towarzystwo Miłośników Miasta Bydgoszczy.
ISBN8390323141.