"Kohlrabi apostle," "unworldly crank," "grass-eater": the painter and self-proclaimed prophet Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach was derided with many nicknames in his turn. But as much as many of his contemporaries disapproved of him, his followers adored him. Barefoot and in a white woolen frock, the artist passionately advocated his life reforms, in which he pleaded for more humanity, more moderation and a harmonious coexistence in harmony with nature. Thus he represented theses already in the 19th century, which are today more topical than ever.
The son of a painter, he was born in the mid-19th century in the duchy of Nassau, today known as the small town of Hadamar. He was drawn to the visual arts at a young age, which is why he enrolled as an art student at the Munich Academy. However, he hardly attended classes: an unexpected stroke of fate drastically changed his previous way of life. He fell seriously ill with typhoid fever, suffered several secondary illnesses and was confined to bed for months. Years of illness and weakness marked him until a new movement finally brought relief: a purely vegetarian cure rebuilt him. The turnaround in his life, because from then on he swore off meat and stimulants and loudly propagated vegetarianism. In the age of advancing industrialization and urbanization, he turned to a more nature-oriented life and became an active advocate of sunbathing and free body culture. He no longer wanted to be constricted by social conventions and state constraints; instead, he created his own ideals, on the basis of which he founded a commune.
The reformist model of life shaped the artistic work of the cultural rebel - but also contributed significantly to the failure of his career. Although the artist personality was well known, public interest was largely limited to his person than his painterly products. Nevertheless, he was not discouraged and expressed his thoughts and views in over a hundred paintings. With the help of his student Fidus, he finally created his artistic monument: "Per aspera ad astra". The name of the 68-meter-long silhouette frieze comes from an ancient phrase that means "through the rough you reach the stars. The highly poetic and best-known work of the painter of strong character consists of 34 partial paintings, all of which show silhouettes. Minimalist, it is reduced to the colors black and white, but with its choice of motifs expresses the closeness to nature and joie de vivre of the painter: united, children and their animal companions pass by, making music detachedly on pipes, timpani and trumpets. The painting thus skillfully captures the essence of Diefenbach's self-reformation. At the age of 62, the visionary sun worshipper finally died at his estate on the Mediterranean island of Capri. A friend later described his passing as "sudden" and "violent as a storm." Thus Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach, famous for his stormy lifestyle, met an equally stormy death. His theories, however, are still relevant today.
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.jpg "The Fairy Dance by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by K W Diefenbach by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach Self-Portrait by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by K W Diefenbach by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Divine Youth by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by K W Diefenbach by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Portrait of the German Composer Richard Wagner by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Portrait of the Composer Richard Wagner 1813-1883, 1900s-1910s by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Gottliche Jugen by K W Diefenbach by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Portrait of the composer Richard Wagner 1813-1883, 1883 by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Divine Youth by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Isle of the Dead by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Portrait of the composer Richard Wagner 1813-1883, c. 1913 by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Divine Youth by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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_Oil_on_canvas_-_(MeisterDrucke-1319782).jpg "Self-portrait as Christ by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Divine Youth by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by K W Diefenbach by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Divine Youth by K W Diefenbach by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by K W Diefenbach by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by K W Diefenbach by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by K W Diefenbach by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Divine Youth by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Gottliche Jugen by K W Diefenbach by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Divine Youth by K W Diefenbach by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Divine Youth by K W Diefenbach by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Divine Youth by K W Diefenbach by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Divine Youth by K W Diefenbach by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by K W Diefenbach by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Divine Youth by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Divine Youth by K W Diefenbach by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Self-Portrait by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Gottliche Jugen by K W Diefenbach by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by K W Diefenbach by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by K W Diefenbach by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Divine Youth by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by K W Diefenbach by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Divine Youth by K W Diefenbach by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by K W Diefenbach by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Youth playing a musical instrument by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Dying Deer by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Sphinx with Undine, 1902 by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Question to the Stars by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Divine Youth by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Per Aspera ad Astra by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Martyr and crucified, son Helios by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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.jpg "Illustration for Divine Youth by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach")
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