Edward Theodore Compton
Edward Theodore Compton, usually called ET Compton ( born July 29, 1849 in Stoke Newington, England; † March 22, 1921 in Feldafing ) was an English painter and alpine climbers. He lived since the age of 18 in Germany and then participated in the German nationality. As a climber, he was able to carry over 300 major ascents, including no fewer than 27 first ascents. To date, Compton is known for its 1700 mountain motifs in impressive and at the same topographically accurate watercolors, pen and brush drawings.
Life
Compton was in Stoke Newington ( now a suburb of London) born in 1849, son of the art-loving insurance agent Theodore Compton. In his parents' house ( devout Quaker family ) were unrestricted nature experiences in the center of the family everyday. 1863 Compton began with first nature studies and visited several British art schools, so even for a short time, the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Otherwise, he taught himself further and worked on designs from the English lakes areas.
Compton's father tried to allow his children the best possible education. The high cost of schooling in England and ideal in particular for his art gifted son Edward Theodore environment prompted the family to emigrate to Germany in 1867 and move to Darmstadt. In fact, Darmstadt was at that time the residence of the Grand Duchy of Hesse under Grand Duke Ludwig II as an artistic stronghold, where many artists had joined forces in the Rhineland Kunstverein. Also there was a special museum art school that attracted many young people interested in and emerged from the, inter alia, later known as a landscape painter Eugen Bracht. From Compton's diary shows that not only his father but he also issued drawing classes in Darmstadt. For example, the Hesse Princess Alice was one of his pupils.
Undertook yet in 1867 a Compton Rhine country trip and created several sketchbooks, which are unfortunately not get connected. Therefore, the resulting in the months of May and June 1868 the walks along the Moselle and the Eifel sketchbook. In July 1868, the entire Compton family traveled to the Bernese Oberland, after Edward Theodore in 1867 visited the lake of Thun and had it raves. On this second trip to Compton to have spontaneously decided to become a painter and mountain climbers, as the fog surprisingly informed and Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains were almost visionary about him during the crossing over the lake of Thun
From 1869 Compton lived in Munich and found there two years later for the first time in the glass palace.
In 1872 he married the Münchnerin Gusti of Romako ( Auguste Amalie Plötz ) and took with her a two-year journey that led the young couple to the Tyrol, Carinthia and Italy. 1874 - Compton was now 24 years old - the two eventually settled down in Feldafing on Lake Starnberg.
In the following years, Compton traveled to the mountain scenery of Austria, Scandinavia, North Africa, Corsica and Spain and recorded his impressions of the trip in a variety of oil paintings and watercolors, but also in ink drawings. The preponderance of alpine scenes obscured that Compton has also outlying areas visited and captured in pictures, such as the High Tatras, the Scottish Highlands and the Hebrides, but also the Lofoten Islands and the North Cape and the Colombian Andes.
The received at his mountain climbs in the Alps, the Pyrenees, Corsica and Scotland impressions he worked in oil paintings, watercolors and ink drawings, with their topographically correct views have documentary value. In 1880 he became a member of the Royal Academy London, and the exclusive British Alpine Club and the German and Austrian Alpine Club ( DuÖAV ). In addition to his work as a painter Compton worked as an illustrator for various alpine magazines and publications.
1909 Compton was accompanied by his friend Karl Blodig on many tours in the Silvretta. In the time of World War Compton reached an invitation of the Austrian army commands to paint pictures of the mountain front. The Bavarian Supreme Command forbade him this but, although Berlin had expressed agreement. In addition, he was then excluded from the Munich Artists' Association, because he was an Englishman.
Europe Compton was known as an illustrator in the publications of the German and Austrian Alpine Club ( DuÖAV ). The illustrations in Emil Zsigmondy book " In the high mountains " (1889 ) go back to him, as are the illustrations in " Mountaineering in Pictures" by Steinitzer (1913 ) or " rock and firn " by H. Hess ( 1901).
At the age of 72 years, the painter and mountaineer Edward Theodore Compton died on 22 March 1921 in Feldafing on Lake Starnberg.
In his honor, received a mountain hut in the Alps Gailtaler the name E. T. Compton cottage.
Style and effect
Initially arrested nor the English Romanticism, Compton later developed a new type of realistic representation of nature, by letting himself be guided by his artistic ideas though, but that was all exactly as large as possible geographically. It is interesting in this context that Compton had engaged with issues of surveying technology.
Even his early watercolors show the importance of brightness and light in Compton works. Striking in the compositions Compton is also the way in which he used the technique of diffuse various media such as water and air, even ascending mist and fog, for the presentation of the characteristics and current moods of its landscapes.
Even if Compton had never established or initiated a school, but many artists took Compton style modeled: eg Ernst and Karlsplatz Arnold and Compton's son, Edward Harrison Compton and his daughter Dora Compton.
Family
The inclination for drawing and painting shows up at the family members Compton.
Notable first ascents and tours
- Torre di Brenta - First ascent 1882
- Cima Brenta - ascent of the south face in 1882
- Large Fermeda ( Geisler )
- Aiguille Blanche de Peuterey - first driverless ascent in 1905 together with Karl Blodig
- Grossglockner climb with 70 years
Rope companions (selection)
- Theodor Christomannos
- Karl Blodig, who ascended first all four peaks in the Alps
- Ludwig Purtscheller
- Emil ZSIGMONDY