How a sleepy village turned into an artists' colony
July 24, 2018
The village of Worpswede near Bremen is known in Germany and beyond for its close-knit community of artists. The village itself celebrates 800 years since its founding.
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The Worpswede artist's colony: From farming village to a source of inspiration
They wanted to escape the industrial city and find solace in the country: painters such as Paula Modersohn-Becker, Heinrich Vogeler and poets like Rainer Maria Rilke made tranquil Worpswede an artists' colony.
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Escape from the modern world
Many artists sought refuge in Worpswede away from the chaos of the industrial city. With its open plains, wide open skies and sunny days, the artists' colony grew quickly during the late 19th century. One of the founders of the village was landscape painter Otto Modersohn, the creator of this 1910 work.
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A new home, a new life, a new husband
Paula Modersohn-Becker happened upon the picturesque village during a weekend outing in the region. Compelled by the remote location of the artists' colony she decided to move there and to start taking lessons in drawing and painting. She even went on to find a husband there — none less than painter Otto Modersohn. This 1903 self-portrait shows her surrounded by the local Worpswede landscape.
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In the eye of the beholder
Paula Modersohn-Becker's art was ahead of its time: her paintings depicting rural life in the country show a decidedly expressionist style. But not everyone enjoyed her work. German poet Rainer Maria Rilke described her as a "recklessly straight-forward" painter. It's a good thing he stuck to poetry though, as Modersohn-Becker today is considered a leading representative of modern art.
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The beginning of the end
But eventually, there's discord even in the most harmonious artists' colony: Founder Carl Vinnen (painter of this 1900 landscape) decides to quit the colony in 1899, as does Otto Modersohn. Heinrich Vogeler, another early member of the Worpswede community, turns his energy to pursuing communist ideas. Others start toying with populist sentiments.
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Tourist trap
Over the years, the spirit of Worpswede changed from that of a full-time, live-in artists' colony to more of a retreat center for creative minds. Fritz Overbeck, who painted this landscape of the evening sky in the country, stayed for almost ten years but eventually decided to leave in 1905. Too many tourists coming to see the village for his liking.
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Swansong for Worpswede
This 1905 painting is perhaps Heinrich Vogeler's most recognized work. It may look like an idyllic concert soiree but actually represents the slow decline of the artists' colony. The characters depicted in the image look like they hardly have anything left to say to each other. The community spirit is gone — but not for good: Today there are about 130 artists still living and working in Worpswede.
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For well over a century, the small village of Worpswede has been known for attracting artists with its wide open landscape and historic architecture. But the village dates back much longer than that: In fact, it just celebrated its 800th birthday.
Starting off as a small settlement of just eight farms, "Worpensweede" – as is was originally known – is first mentioned in official documents in 1218.
However, it would take another 750 years until it would gain its present reputation. In 1889, three painters from Düsseldorf took a trip to the remote village just north of the city of Bremen. They fell in love with the idyllic hamlet and decided to stay for good.
The painter, designer, architect and communist Heinrich Vogeler was one of the Worpswede founders. He bought an old farm house in the village in 1895 and redecorated it with art nouveau details. The building became the creative epicenter of the village.
Even today, there's still a large number of galleries, museums and arts centers in Worpswede. About 130 painters, sculptors, jewelry makers and other creative minds continue to be attracted to living and working in the village that grew out of the utopian ideals of a coterie of late 19th century artists.
"Worpswede is a unique place, not just within the context of Germany," says Jörg van den Berg, artistic director of the local arts center. "Where else do you find a village with just 5,000 inhabitants that has its own arts scene as well as its own arts history?"