Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach (1851-1913)

"Asking the Stars" ["Frage an die Sterne"]

oil on canvas

1895

60 x 45 cm 

signed and dated (incised) lower left: "K. W. Diefenbach 1895"

canvas supplier's mark stamped in ink on verso: Arnold Landsberger, Wien

Publication History:

Claudia Wagner, Der Kuenstler Karl Eilhelm Diefenbach (1851-1913), Meister und Mission, diss. 2007, Werkkatalog, pg. 25, W.K Nr. 3.27 and 3.28.

For related paintings, see: Michael Buhrs, ed., Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach (1851-1913) Lieber sterben, als meine Ideale verleugnen! (Munich: Museum Villa Stuck and Edition Minerva, 2009), pgs. 163-164, ills. 135-136.

Looking for answers in the sublime nature of the infinite universe: “Asking the Stars,” by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach.

With his long hair, bare feet, flowing robes, and  revolutionary ideas, Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach (1851-1913) was a counterculture figure of late 19th-century Germany.  Naturist, vegetarian, pacifist, and utopian-commune founder, Diefenbach was also one of the most distinctive and visionary German artists in the symbolist idiom.  This painting, “Asking the Stars,” presents one of his recurrent motifs.   Diefenbach's daughter, Stella, was the model.

 
For a relatively brief but significant period, Diefenbach’s followers included the young artist Fidus (Hugo Höppener), upon whom Diefenbach was a profound influence.

The Daulton Collection holds the largest collection of the work of Diefenbach (and also Fidus) in the USA.

-- Jack Daulton

Contact:

The Daulton Collection

Los Altos Hills, California

thedaultoncollection@outlook.com

Instagram: @thedaultoncollection