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Scenography, costumes and theatre sketches |
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(dma) –
Christian Hess’ wide-ranging artistic vision also
found inspiration in the theatre, from scenography and directing to
costume design and even the creation of hand-carved puppets. Hess was in
every sense an artist of eclectic talents; already in the 1930’s he had
produced fashion designs and fine examples of graphic art for the world
of advertising. Hess saw no reason to confine the various artistic
disciplines, indeed he welcomed the fruits of cultural cross-pollination
between the various methodologies.
In the autumn of 1931 in Munich Hess was the moving force behind a new artistic union of painters, sculptors and architects. In the first “Bildhauer-Maler-Architekt” exhibition Hess displayed his cartoons for frescoes planned for a “Ton-Film-Theater” in Breslavia (now Wroclaw). His project, which received vociferous support among art critics, would eventually be brought about but only much later. Hess’ debut as a scenographer, according to a letter from the artist to his sister, came in the summer of 1932 in Munich. He writes to Emma: “I’m drawing and painting the scenery for Max Halbe’s drama “Der Strom” (1904). There’s no money in it because all the proceeds will go to unemployed artists.” Hess and the naturalist playwright Halbe were later to perish within days of each other: the artist, aged 48, in the hospital at Schwaz on 26 November 1944 of injuries sustained in an allied air-raid on Innsbruck; the writer, aged 79, four days later at Neuötting in Baviera of old age.
Hess also worked for the theatre during his time in Switzerland designing scenography, costumes and directing. For these projects he worked together with his wife Cecile Faesy, a writer of fables and tales on mythological and fantastic themes. In the summer of 1934 Hess and Cecile left Sicily and settled in Lucerne in an apartment at Himmelrichstrasse 7 which belonged to the artist’s father in law. This became the setting for the “Atelier Hess-Faesy” which aimed to work for the “Lay Theatre Group”. In this period Hess writes to his sister Emma that he has also been commissioned to hand carve 20 wooden puppets for the “Kasper Theatre” for a fee of 100 francs. Business for the Atelier did not flourish long as the political situation deteriorated rapidly. Germans were viewed with hostility and suspicion in Switzerland after Hermann Goering accused the country of having sold out to the Jews and subsequently banned Swiss newspapers from the Third Reich. Berne replied by banning German newspapers and closing down its German language radio broadcasts.
One morning Hess and Cecile found a swastika daubed on the wall of their
house. Both viewed it as a warning and a threat; not only was Hess
German but Cecile had acquired the same nationality by becoming his
wife. With Hess’ stay permit about to expire and little chance of it
being renewed, they decided to return to Sicily. Some of Hess’ preparatory sketches for scenography, costumes and puppets produced during his time in Lucerne are reproduced below. Some are indicated as property of “Atelier Hess-Faesy”. |
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