The Life and Artistic Evolution of Georg Jung
Born in Salzburg, Austria, Georg Jung grew up in an international atmosphere as the son of the proprietor of the Hotel de l’Europe. His early inclinations toward drawing were shaped by the prominent artists who stayed at his family's hotel during the Salzburg Festival. After leaving school in 1916 to serve as a one-year volunteer, he later moved to Vienna to study medicine, while simultaneously attending an evening course in life drawing at the Kunstgewerbeschule. His early work was characterized by sketches of battle scenes and views of Salzburg, eventually evolving into oil paintings and drawings.
Jung’s career was marked by significant institutional involvement, including membership in the Hagenbund from 1925 to 1938 and the Vienna Secessionists from 1945 to 1952. Despite his artistic pursuits, he managed the Hotel de l’Europe until 1938, when he was forced to sell the property under pressure from the German Wehrmacht. His artistic journey saw him move from expressionist and cubist tendencies toward abstraction in his later years. Notably, his work was classified as "degenerate" by the National Socialists, resulting in an exhibition ban in 1942.
Technique and Color Theory
A central theme in Jung's development was the scientific study of color. He traveled to Dresden to meet the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Wilhelm Ostwald to explore the concept of color as a manifestation of partial light quantities. This fascination with color theory culminated in his late work with the development of the "Colormobile," a kinetic apparatus designed to create continuously changing color constellations. His repertoire included diverse subjects, from portraits and landscapes to religious themes, as well as architectural contributions such as a sundial on a university building and a fresco in the Franciscan Church.
His notable works include:
