Wilhelm Busch
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"Having discussed the various phases of the use of the grotesque in Wilhelm Busch’s work, we now reach the final stage of its development. The most perfect grotesque ever created by that artist is Eduards Traum (Edward’s Dream) of 1891, which is a purely literary work, and of which one could almost say that here Bonaventura’s Nachtwachen, which appeared at the beginning of the century, has been graced with a companion piece at its conclusion."--The Grotesque in Art and Literature (1957) by Wolfgang Kayser |
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Heinrich Christian Wilhelm Busch (15 April 1832 – 9 January 1908) was a German humorist, poet, illustrator, and painter. He published comic illustrated cautionary tales from 1859, achieving his most notable works in the 1870s. Busch's illustrations used wood engraving, and later, zincography.
Busch drew on contemporary parochial and city life, satirizing Catholicism, Philistinism, strict religious morality, and bigotry. His comic text was colourful and entertaining, using onomatopoeia, neologisms, and other figures of speech, that led to some work being banned by the authorities.
Busch was influential in both poetry and illustration, and became a source for future generations of comic artists. The Katzenjammer Kids was inspired by Busch's Max and Moritz, one of a number of imitations produced in Germany and the United States. The Wilhelm Busch Prize and the Wilhelm Busch Museum help maintain his legacy. The 175th anniversary of his birth in 2007 was celebrated throughout Germany. Busch remains one of the most influential poets and artists in Western Europe.
