German exhibition marking his 250th birth anniversary, and also featuring his sons’ works, nearing its closure
On July 18, an exhibition showcasing works by Anton Schranz, his three artist sons Giovanni, Antonio, Giuseppe and Giovanni’s son, Costantino, opened in Ochsenhausen, a town in Baden-Württemberg, one of Germany’s richest states, celebrating the 250th anniversary of Anton’s birth on May 14, 1769.
The exhibition’s title – Anton Schranz: Ein Marinemaler aus Ochsenhausen – A Maritime Artist From Ochsenhausen – highlights the surprise of the citizens of this landlocked town, over 1,000km from the nearest seashore, when, some 40 years ago, they came to know that one of Ochsenhausen’s sons, born so far from any open sea, had been a maritime artist.
Anton Schranz was much more than a maritime artist, though the genre dominated his later work. His opus includes portrait commissions (King George III and Menorca’s newly-appointed bishop) rich landscapes and townscapes, baroque fantasies, bucolic scenes… Moreover, in Menorca, where he lived for 26 years, he was commissioned to stucco and gild cathedrals and churches, as well as design, create, gild and decorate a beautiful case for an organ newly-installed in the cathedral of Cuitadella, then Menorca’s capital.
Indeed, though seascapes monopolise his later opus, extensive backgrounds of townscapes and beautifully lit fortifications dominate each work, while ample foregrounds of complex, rocky shores throb with masses of figures working busily or relaxing by the sea. He never paints sea crafts in open seas. Tellingly, in sketches, powerful ink strokes dominate, capturing humans and animals on splendid rock formations; but then, sea and ships are barely hinted, ‘ghostly’.
Unknown for 192 years – between 1791 (when he reached Menorca) and 1983 (when John Paul Schranz, his Maltese descendant, visited Ochsenhausen seeking German relatives), Anton’s artistic achievements surprised the town.
The then mayor, Max Herold, immediately acquired for the town hall an Anton Schranz work, which proudly adorns the mayor’s office. Anton’s formative Ochsenhausen years are unknown – except for his probable childhood education in the Benedictine abbey, now a music conservatory and exhibition space.
Anton’s artistic achievements surprised the town
In the opening ceremony, held in the princely building where Prince Metternich had held court, the focal theme of John Schranz’s inaugural talk stressed that this lacuna, caused by disastrous archival fires, needs to be addressed. Discussing pointers his research discoveries provide, he encouraged Ochsenhausen’s citizens to undertake local research to illumine those blank formative years – Anton, known in Malta as Il-Ġermaniż, could then become the Ochsenhauser he once was.
Mayor Andreas Denzel’s speech emphasised how crucial Schranz’s appeal was, while underlining the importance Ochsenhausen attributes to Anton’s citizenship by naming a street after him.
Denzel subsequently discussed Kloster Ochsenhausen’s glorious days: first documented in 1093, the vast imperial abbey was among the wealthiest in southern Germany, practically a sovereign monastic state, subject only to the Holy Roman Emperor, a cultural, intellectual, artistic and scientific centre of the entire region.
With the 1803 secularisation programme and Metternich’s takeover, the monks left. Sold by Metternich to the Fürst Metternich Herzog von Württemberg in 1825, it now belongs to the State of Baden-Württemberg, functioning as a music academy, a museum and exhibition space.
The mayor expressed his gratitude to all who made the exhibition possible: to Schranz for his constant, dedicated commitment and support for the exhibition, his provocative inaugural talk and his ground-breaking research findings; to owners who lent their precious artworks; to the dedicated town hall staff, particularly Michael Schmid-Sax, head of culture, who coordinated, designed and set up the exhibition, and Monika Merk, who handled all contacts; to former Ochsenhauser Rosemarie Fink, a Schranz family member, for her tireless, enthusiastic dedication to the exhibition; to the family Schranz members who travelled from Malta to attend the exhibition opening, and to the Ochsenhausen School of Music for performing in the opening ceremony.
Denzel finally thanked the sponsors who made the exhibition financially possible: Kreissparkasse Biberach, the State of Baden-Württemberg and the Honorary Consul of Malta in Baden-Württemberg, Walter Dulga, on representations made to him by Malta’s Ambassador to Germany Albert Friggieri.
The exhibition also presents works by four present-day Schranz family members, two still carrying the surname: Ian Schranz, John Schranz, Joan Consiglio and Alexia Coppini, direct descendants of Giovanni. This resulted from the German organisers wondering whether any family members intended marking the anniversary by exhibitions of their work.
The exhibition closes on Sunday.
Frank Heckelsmüller is a teacher and author in Ochsenhausen.