Early ceramics from 1944 - 1963

Early ceramics from 1944 - 1963

61 years old was Ursula Dethleffs - for 47 of those years ceramic works by the artist are documented. That shows how closely their connection has been the ceramic. 450 of their ceramics we can present already in the gallery-Dethleffs. Nearly 800 ceramics created during their life.

The first works: Their earliest work that is exhibited in the Gallery Dethleffs, dates back to 1944. At that time, Ursula Dethleffs was 11 years old! The painted of her plate entitled "Aphrodite" (VMS no. 261 019). This title from Greek mythology came from her mother, who has accompanied almost all their lives in all matters of art. "Aphrodite" is a child labor. But the delicate drawing even the genius of the artist coming. Ursula's "Christmas plate" (. VMS No. 261 004) from 1947 shows her artistic develo-pment: the fine line drawing is connected to solid areas. They emphasize the center with Mary and Jesus in the circle of angelic girl. The plate encloses a fine band as Meander. It was a Christmas gift for the parents. Girls under the trees & quot; quot case in 1949 resulting ceramic &; (VMS no. 261 007). In addition to the newly set square shape is important: the close networking of the image with the frame. In addition, she has woven it up with the branches and leaves of trees.

Her most important teacher was Fritz Blaicher. The well-known in the Allgäu master potters lived in Isny. (See her children image: & quot; pottery workshop Fritz Blaicher & quot ;, oil on paper - VMS: 251002). In his pottery kiln, he has many years Ursula fired work.

Way to freedom

1950 Ursula ventured a caesura. They moved from the conservative fine drawing for free form: For the ceramic "girls" (VMS No. 24126.) Sweeps over the rough, red clin-ker partially with opaque white. On the white, the almost rough contour of the girl's head and her upper body is placed in a light brown color. The shadow is dark brown. Then arises in 1952 the first complete sculpture: & quot; Sauna & quot; (VMS no. 260018), the vase "Birds in Paradise" (VMS no. 261 027) combines 1953 drawing with the form. 1954 rises "Neptune" (260 027 A), the god of water, as a sculpture out of the sea. Instead of the trident Ursula has processed for him bulky nails; which is an echo of Günther Uecker. 1955 and 1956 edited the artist twice the theme "Girl with cock: The lovers - in the shape of the cock - to the naked girl approaches (VMS number 260023.). The next sculpture the girl takes the cock in her arm and pressed in on her chest (260005). This girl is dressed modestly, it is Ursula with her sweeping ponytail. The way to freedom falls of 23 years Ursula lighter than in the relationship with the man in the art. But we also know: 1956 was sexuality almost unheard of.

Image on the ceramic

The joy of sculptures was very cloudy at Ursula, when their small sculptures broke. The consequence: Ursula increasingly worked to scale images on first small, later growing ceramic plates. Between 1957 and 1961, arising: Nude Girls 1957 (VMS No. 241415,), The girl on the beach -1958 (VMS no. 241028), Trapped like a bird in a cage -1958 (VMS no. 241005) Ophelia -1960 (VMS number. 241255) and Early Morning -1961 (VMS no. 241480). 1957 dominated the painted on the ceramic image of the two women. 1958 can be used in addition: colored glaze and in the image inset, sawn stones which overlap the edge of the picture. 1960 Ursula used at Ophelia modeled tone with which she almost covers the diffe-rent colored glazes in the background. His dark gray reinforced the grief of Ophelia. 1961 in "Early Morning" affects the image of the white girls act cool next to the blue glaze. The applied in thick layer on top of the screen in green glaze softens the cold early morning. The fractures of the glazes are all works of Ursula Dethleffs their sign of transience: Memento Mori.

Ceramic Relief Material or pictures

The transition to the relief develops fluent in their ceramics. Some elements are al-ready found in the above work - like the sawed stones at "The girl on the beach". In the earlier painted "image" Ursula omitted entirely. Will replace the image by the net-working of artistic materials and their transformation during firing: clay, ceramics, metals, foam, glaze, etc.

From this technique in art criticism it is unfortunate that derived "Material picture". Here are the materials, only the secondary detail. It is essential always the whole art work: the relief on the ceramic! Six of Ursula's "Ceramic relief" from the period between 1960 and 1963, we have chosen here: The 1960 created "Ferrum" (VMS no. 241253) is revolutionary! It overcomes every echo of their previous images. Issued it was, inter alia, in 1961 in Augsburg and the Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen, 1963 in the Pinakothek in Munich in 1964 at the Folkwang Museum in Essen

. Most preferably, the plant is explained: Please click once on the photo "Ferrum": af-ter the ceramic relief is great to see the entire screen. This direct route to the art-work we also recommend For "Bas" of 1960 (VMS no. 241292) for "encrustations" from 1961 (VMS No. 241303) for "votive V" from 1962 (VMS no. 241 431), for "Islands" - von1962 (VMS number MVZ:. 241251). and for "Triptych III" of 1963 (VMS No. 241344-C)

The "Triptych III" we have today to the final the first portion of ceramics provided. Its comparison with the first ceramic plate from 1944 determined at a glance, how important are the works by Ursula Dethleffs. What's more: What other artist in Germany has followed similar trends as Ursula Dethleffs?

Her way was not easy. As observed with Argus eyes of the ar-tist's daughter Fridel Dethleffs-Edelmann. As the daughter of a factory owner, who offered her the chance to drive with art time.

The journey in 1953 with the caravan through Arabia was a risky expedition - despite their accompanying parents! That is why we have placed the ceramic "market in Arabia" and the photo of Luxor to the top of this issue.

Bernd Riedle 06/2015