Franz Stassen

Paintings of still life have been popular for centuries. There were many cases where artists and critics announced that this work of art was out of fashion but since the end of the 16th century somehow always managed to return, although often in redefined shape.

Most big names among painters made at least some still life during their career and young artists followed their example, if nothing else, for the experience itself. Of course, still life was popular among customers too, so it was ordered pretty often, right after the portraits.

Franz Stassen was not a fan of still life paintings which are by definition in striking contrast with mythological themes. Yet I managed to find one piece with his signature in 1935 which popped in the auction more than a decade ago. I believe there are many more still-life paintings by Stassen in private collections. They are just not very attractive to a wider audience, so the possible price at selling doesn't motivate the owners to part with them.

Painting landscapes is a must for any artist from the very beginning. Many stayed faithful to portraying nature scenery to the end of their careers, others just incorporated everything learned from landscape painting into their later work.

Franz Stassen was not a very prolific landscape painter but we can recognize his sense of composition and understanding of light and colors in the background of his mythological paintings.

One of Stassen's favorite themes was mythology with an emphasis on Wagner's work (he was a personal friend of Richard's son Siegfried) and a large part of his earnings came from everything related to Nibelung.

The other leading theme in his work was fairy tales. Grimms' tales, of course, played a crucial part in this area, like at so many other German artists. He loved to portray fantastic scenes with characters in dramatic, expressive positions.

Ex libris (Latin: from the books) is a decorative piece of paper or cardboard, used to show the name of the owner and often placed in the book at the position where the reader was interrupted. For some time, it was very fashionable to have a personalized ex libris designed by an established artist. Members of the higher class ordered them to impress friends, not necessarily because they were avid readers.

Franz Stassen designed many ex libric and we can find them today in museums in several European countries. Do you recognize the piper below?

Picture postcards were extremely popular in the first half of the 20th century. The fast development of printing techniques led to the rapid growth of publishing companies that were offering all kinds of cards to customers. Competition forced them to hire better and better artists and Stassen was again at the right time at the right place.

This postcard, for instance, was made as a greeting card for the new year. Postcards soon became collectible items with millions of collectors at the peak of their popularity.

Not only postcards, but other paper products became collectible too. Even chocolate wrappers. Don't be surprised before you are fully informed. Stollwerck company, for instance, for decades commissioned top artists and designers to make pictures for the wrappers of its chocolate. Each year new series came on the market with accompanying albums for collectors.

Franz Stassen was just one of many. His designs were, as expected, inspired by Germanic mythology.

Posters are another medium that became popular in the 20th century. Today's posters are mainly based on photography but in Stassen's time provided a nice source of income for skilled artists. If they had the right connections, even better.

Franz Stassen's relationship with Siegfried Wagner, who took over the organization of the events in Bayreuth from his mother Cosima definitely helped him to enter the colossal business built around Richard Wagner's legacy. Wagner's fantasy world was presented not only on stage but also reinterpreted in books, posters, postcards, and other ephemera, which all brought a lot of opportunities to Stassen.

We rarely think about it, but every piece of paper can use some help of art and design, from stationary to wine lists, from stamps to beer mats. Diplomas, certificates, and similar documents with more or less official meaning are no exception.

Franz Stassen made this patronage certificate for the festival in 1922 as an art piece on its own.

No, musical notes are not reserved for musicians only. They can be published together with libretto to present the story to musical illiterates too. Stassen expanded such presentations even further. With his signature dramatic illustrations, of course

The rise of Nationalism in Germany redefined many aspects of everyday life. Classic stories were rewritten, plays adapted, and buildings redecorated. When Adolf Hitler became a chancellor, he wanted to put new tapestries in the assembly hall of the Reich Chancellery. He ordered four scenes from the Germanic epic of Edda and Franz Stassen with his references from Beyreuth, together with membership in NSDAP as the leading party in the country, was an obvious choice.

As we can see, Franz Stassen didn't lack talent and skills. The question is still how much would he accomplish in given circumstances if he wasn't hanging with the most influential and powerful people.

Resources:

https://franz-stassen.mystrikingly.com/

https://thisandthat.altervista.org/stollwerck-chocolate-and-collectible-cards/

https://mycalendarland.com/calendar/postcards/vintage-postcards-old-post-cards-to-learn-and-enjoy

https://themesoffairytales.exblog.jp/33544018/