Paul Werth (1912-1977) - Kubistische stad

Intriguing painting in cubist style from 1955 by the German artist Paul Werth. It is an oil on canvas applied to a panel. The dimensions are 78 x 48 cm. The painting is signed and dated in the lower right corner.

Provenance

Harold Reitz Art Trade, Amsterdam

Paul Werth
Paul Werth (born April 1, 1912 in Soest, Westphalia; died October 6, 1977 in Soest) was a German painter and graphic artist of the Informal Art Movement.

Paul Werth discovered his passion for drawing at a young age; he proved to have extraordinary talent for it. After training as a house painter and decorator and subsequent work in that field, he was called up for military service in 1940. At the end of World War II, he spent two years as a American prisoner of war, where he met Ernst-Wilhelm Haverland from Soest, with whom he formed a lifelong friendship.

In 1946 he returned to Soest and found shelter in his friend Haverland’s house on the market square. His encounters with other artists, who taught him the techniques of oil painting, awakened his passion for painting. He followed a challenging, autodidactic path, far removed from any formal academic training.

The Haverland family supported him throughout his career, enabling him to work as a freelance artist. Thanks to a grant, he was able to undertake several trips to Italy, which had a major influence on his later artistic development.

In the early fifties he also began to explore informal art. Around the same time he joined the artists’ association “Die Schanze” in Münster, with which he later presented some of his works in a special exhibition.

Paul Werth died in 1977 at the age of 65 and therefore did not take part in the winter exhibition of his work at the Wilhelm-Morgner-Haus in Soest. That exhibition had been planned before his death and was later held as a memorial exhibition.

Works

The early paintings of Paul Werth can be categorized as moderate realism, usually executed in dark tones with a subdued atmosphere. The landscapes he painted recalling his time in Italy during the war are also marked by this somber mood. His later stays in Italy after his grant brought a decisive turning point: his paintings became brighter and more cheerful, and their style shifted from figurative to abstract. In the fifties he finally could devote himself entirely to pure color.

Painting was his primary medium; Paul Werth paid little attention to drawing. He gave away many of his drawings and sketchbooks, so a large portion of them is now considered lost.

His oeuvre is estimated at a total of 2,500–3,000 works."