Joachim Voigts, by Adelheid Lilienthal

Namibian art expert Adelheid Lilienthal wrote this exhibition catalogue on the artist and painter Joachim Voigts, who has been one the most versatile artists in Namibia.

Namibian art expert Adelheid Lilienthal wrote this exhibition catalogue on the artist and painter Joachim Voigts, who has been one the most versatile artists in Namibia.

Adelheid Lilienthal  Joachim Voigts  

Joachim Voigts was born on the 20th March 1907, as second son of a merchant and an art teacher in Windhoek. His father Gustav Voigts descended from a Brunswick farming family and came to Namibia (then South West Africa), with his brother Albert Voigts in 1892 where they founded the company Wecke & Voigts on the 3rd September 1892. Joachim Voigt's mother, born Frida Koch, also came from Germany. Before her marriage she worked as an art teacher at the Brunswick Girl's High School. Joachim Voigts grew up in Windhoek and spent his first school year there. 1914 the family visited Germany; however, they were forced to remain in Europe by the First World War. When his parents returned to Namibia 6 years later, Joachim remained in Germany to conclude his schooling. He was enthusiastic about fine arts during his schooldays already. He was often a guest in the home of his school friend Ulfert Wilke. Ulfert Wilkes father was a well-known cartoonist who drew sketches for the magazine, Simplicissimus and his mother painted copies at the Brunswick Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum. Joachim Voigts spent many hours of his spare time at the Brunswick museum. He especially enjoyed looking at The girl with the wine glass of Vermeer van Delft, Adam and Eve of Palma Veccio and especially Rembrandts renowned Brunswick family picture. Together with Ulfert Wilke he attended the primary school classes of the Brunswick Art Trade school under Hedwig Hornburg. They drew mainly with pastel chalk. Later they concentrated more on lino cuts, which thrilled them. After his schooling Voigts decided to become an engineer and completed, first of all, a practical apprenticeship at a craft metalworking shop. After closing time he attended courses for technical and perspective drawing, as well as similar subjects at the Art Trade school, which he did not really enjoy. He saw there what was taught in the classes for painting and graphics and became convinced, that working with drawing chalk, brushes and paint would correspond much more with his disposition as working with compasses, angles and rulers. He decided to change his direction and started art school studies in Brunswick (1926-29). Heinrich Ernst and Günther Clausen were Voigts' first teachers. Heinrich Ernst taught graphics as well as nude painting and portraying. Gunther Clausen on the other hand put much emphasis on nature studies, and Voigts' artwork was coined thereby. (...)

This is an excerpt form the exhibition catalogue: Joachim Voigts, by Adelheid Lilienthal.

Title: Joachim Voigts. A Namibian artist
Subtitle: 100th Birthday Commemorative Exhibition
Authors: Adelheid Lilienthal; Burghardt Voigts
Publisher: Burghardt Voigts
Windhoek, Namibia 2007
Original softcover, 21 x 30 cm, 29 pages, throughout illustrated and photos, text: English and German