Early Life and Artistic Training

Herbert Aulich was born on January 12, 1927, in Wüstendorf, Kreis Breslau. His early years were marked by the upheaval of the war, which interrupted his path and delayed his formal entry into the arts. It was not until 1949, following the displacement from Silesia, that he was finally able to begin his professional studies. He enrolled at the Werkkunstschule Hannover, where he would spend the next four years honing his technical skills.

During his time at the Werkkunstschule Hannover from 1950 to 1954, Aulich sought out the guidance of established figures, taking lessons from Carl Buchheister and Erich Wegner. This period of study provided him with a deep, foundational education in the mechanics of design and visual composition. His training was rigorous and thorough, shaping the technical precision that would define his later professional life.

This solid training allowed him to secure a position as a graphic artist and designer at the Landesmuseum für Naturkunde in Hannover. While this role provided steady work, it was a period of significant development for his technical abilities. The discipline required for museum work helped ground his skills before he eventually moved toward more personal, abstract expressions.

Evolution of Technique and Style

Aulich’s artistic path was marked by a steady movement away from the recognizable world. In 1956, he produced his first abstract painting, marking a departure from the more traditional forms of his early training. During this period, his work leaned toward the informal, characterized by a certain wildness in composition. As time passed, this energy began to settle. He started integrating geometric figures into his compositions, a shift that brought a sense of order to his previously unrestrained brushwork.

By the early 1960s, his interest in the informal direction had largely faded. He moved toward a focus on geometric, asymmetrical outline shapes. In this phase, the individual movement of the brush became less important than the weight of the color itself. He used flat, color-graded surfaces to define and fill the space within the frame, often allowing the edges of the composition to interact directly with the physical border of the work.

This evolution toward structure reached a new milestone in 1966 when he began creating his first constructivist works. His later years saw him experimenting with different mediums and layers. He began incorporating photographs into his process, weaving them into drawn structures that sometimes returned to a sense of realism. This layering allowed him to blend the precision of a photograph with the deliberate, constructed nature of his evolving style.

Teaching and Professional Career

Aulich’s professional life was deeply rooted in the educational landscape of Hannover. Between 1960 and 1961, he held a teaching position at the Werkkunstschule Hannover, where he focused on scientific graphics and illustration. This period of instruction coincided with a time when he was also refining his own visual language. Beyond the formal academy setting, he spent approximately 20 years as a lecturer at the Volkshochschule Hannover, sharing his knowledge with a broader community of learners.

His involvement in the professional art community was steady and significant. He became a member of the Künstlergilde in 1958, a connection that marked a long-standing commitment to his peers and the regional art scene. His leadership qualities were recognized through his service as the former head of the Fine Arts group of the Lower Saxony State Association. He also contributed to the administrative side of the art world, serving as a board member for the Stiftung Ostdeutsche Galerie in Regensburg.

Key Works and Collections

The legacy of Herbert Aulich is preserved within several significant institutions, reflecting the reach of his visual language. The Städel Museum in Frankfurt holds two of his works, including the 1965 oil on masonite piece titled Blau zu Unbunt im unregelmäßigen Achteck. Another important work in the Städel Museum collection is the 1969 piece Relief-Flächenspannung, created using cardboard and fiberboard. These pieces represent the quiet, geometric precision that defined much of his later output.

Beyond these specific holdings, his presence is felt in various public spaces and galleries. His works have been acquired by numerous museums and public institutions, extending his influence across borders to include collections in France. This widespread acquisition highlights the lasting interest in his approach to form and color. His art remains part of the permanent fabric of several cultural repositories, ensuring his contributions to modern abstraction continue to be studied and viewed.