Max Brösel
Multi-talented cultural figure, freemason and chairman of the art association for the Lößnitz villages - on the 65th anniversary of his death
In 1784, the Saxon Elector Friedrich August III decreed that the postal connection between Dresden and Radebeul should no longer be routed via Serkowitz, which was frequently flooded by the Elbe, but via what is now Meißner Straße. Because the Serkowitz inn was now losing a considerable number of its visitors, the innkeeper at the time asked to be allowed to build a roadside inn on the new route. This permission marked the start of construction of the "Weiße Roß", which served the hungry and thirsty new arrivals, whether on two legs or four, as a coachman's resting place, stables, post office and inn. The painter Max Brösel captured this picturesque scenery in great detail on one of his many famous postcards, thus preserving it for posterity.
Max Brösel was born on 6 June 1871 in Dresden, where he spent his childhood and school years and studied at the renowned art academy. He was awarded a scholarship in a Parisian studio for a particularly successful nude drawing. After successfully completing his aesthetic training, he was immediately given the honour of designing the curtain for the stage of the Dresden Variety Theatre "Victoria-Salon" as a young artist. This commission was not only of great importance to him professionally, as his obvious talent and the prospect of being able to support a family made the Dresden publisher Carl Reißner reluctant to entrust him with his daughter Elsa's hand in marriage.
The young couple moved into a small city flat, but the family of four soon relocated to Radebeul, where a select group of artists and writers had already settled. This refined society enabled Max Brösel to fulfil many a commission as a portraitist. Coloured drawings, title pages for children's calendars, postcard illustrations, cover designs and other painterly activities also secured his livelihood. However, economic hardship during the war did not spare the Brösel family, so he accepted a job as a drawing teacher and gave private lessons as well as teaching at schools in Radebeul.
After the end of the war, he accepted an invitation to Switzerland. He immortalised the diverse inspiration and impressions of nature that he gained during this trip in a series of landscape paintings. His daughter Lotte later recalled admiring his work at various exhibitions. However, acute money worries led him to accept a job as an advertising designer after his return, which, although by no means fulfilling, ensured his family's survival. Along the way, he not only illustrated children's books and fairy tales, he also created several fable stories himself, such as "The fairy tale of the apple that flew across the sea". As he had always spent a lot of time with his offspring, he learnt about the world of children from their point of view. He was also a talented craftsman and made his children happy by developing and building imaginative toys, large and small.
In 1907, the Radebeul artists, who by then had established themselves in many different artistic and cultural fields, founded the art association for the Lößnitz villages under the leadership of landscape painter Hermann Eduard Mangelsdorf. The Kötzschenbroda daily newspaper of the time let its readers know that this was not intended to be a simple social association of artists, but rather a patronage community that would support, revitalise and enrich the fine arts in the Lößnitz region through moral and material support. Initially, only very few of the more than 50 members, including women, were active artists. The aim was to promote the further development of the aesthetic understanding of art, and membership also entitled members to visit the regular exhibitions free of charge. At the end of the year, various works of art were raffled off among the members. After 5 months of existence, the association's rules were drawn up and the membership card designed. The motif was created by Max Brösel:"a small faun was using all his strength to drag a full watering can across a meadow to water the tree of art that had just been planted." In the meantime, he also belonged to the Freemasons. Finally, the longstanding chairmanship of the association crowned the artist's life's work. Anyone wishing to view some of Max Brösel's works should pay a visit to the Stadtgalerie, as the anniversary exhibition will include watercolours and drawings by this universal artistic talent.
Maren Gündel, City Archive
Sources: Kötzschenbrodaer Generalanzeiger of 09 May 1907; Radebeul town archive, collection 16-12.
Published in: Radebeul official gazette in October 2012