Arthur Kampf, 1864 Aachen – 1950 Castrop-Rauxel

CHURCH MASS CELEBRATION IN THE CHOIR Oil on canvas. 31.9 x 30.2 cm. Signed lower right, dated "1880". Signed repeatedly verso on stretcher and canvas. In a loose, almost sketchy brushstroke technique, this work depicts the effectively illuminated service in the choir of a church; the priest in a gold brocade chasuble between red-clad altar boys, in the foreground silhouetted men in front of the choir balustrade. The painter emerged from the Düsseldorf school. He mainly devoted himself to history painting. He became famous for his painted documentations of history, the era of Frederick the Great and Kaiser Wilhelm, but also for his "Walzwerk". He caused a sensation with his depictions of contemporary history, not least with his document on January 30, 1933. His "High Mass in the Cathedral" from 1908 is related to this theme. A.R. Literature: Cf. Bruno Kroll, Arthur Kampf, Bielefeld 1944. Cf. Reinhard Müller-Mehlis, Die Kunst im Dritten Reich. Munich 1976 (14012411) (11)