Perhaps it is the plainness of the Hans Braas Plaque that speaks volumes. It marks a life full of artistic struggle. It commemorates Hans Brass who was born in Wesel in 1885 and died in Berlin in 1959.
Hans Brass was a German expressionist painter and graphic artist. Brass’s early life involved Prussian military training. He entered the Prussian Main Cadet Institute in Gro\u00df-Lichterfelde in 1896. However, his passion lay elsewhere. He wanted to become a painter.
His father requested his early dismissal from the Cadet Institute. Brass then attended the Magdeburg School of Arts and Crafts for two years. He broke off this training. It seemed inadequate for his artistic goals. In Berlin, he started as a painter’s apprentice. Soon he switched to various odd jobs. In 1904, a patron enabled him to study. He studied at the teaching and experimental studio for applied and free art. This was the Debschitz School in Munich. He broke off this training after a falling-out with Wilhelm von Debschitz.
Brass found work as a graphic artist at the Mosse printing company in Berlin. He also worked for the literary magazine Arena. Rudolf Presber published this magazine. In 1908, Hans Brass married Clara Krause.
In 1915, Hans Brass was drafted into World War I. His experiences as a soldier led him to Expressionism. From 1917, Brass belonged to Herwarth Walden’s circle of artists. Walden published the magazine Der Sturm. As a convinced socialist, he joined the November Group shortly after its founding. In 1921, he was a member of its working committee. Until 1923, he exhibited regularly in Berlin. He started to make a name for himself. Art critics mentioned Brass positively in leading newspapers. The magazine Das Kunstblatt honored him with an extensive article.
Brass separated from his first wife in 1921. He moved to Ahrenshoop with his new partner Martha Wegscheider. Together they founded the Bunte Stube in 1922. From 1927 to 1930, he was the mayor of Ahrenshoop. His artistic activity largely came to a standstill. After a serious accident, Brass moved back to Berlin in 1931. He converted to Catholicism. An attempt to revive his career as a painter failed. During the Nazi era, he was labeled as “degenerate”. This was because of his membership in the November Group.
In 1937, the Nazis confiscated his lithographs. They were part of the Nazi campaign “Degenerate Art”. These lithographs were from the art collections of the University of G\u00f6ttingen. After leaving the Reich Chamber of Culture, he stopped painting altogether. In 1937, he went to Ahrenshoop again. He married Martha Wegscheider. They ran the Bunte Stube until 1948.
From 1944, Brass devoted himself to painting again. In 1950, he separated from Martha Wegscheider. He returned to Berlin. Here, he married Elisabeth Bieschke. Despite efforts and some exhibitions, he failed to achieve a breakthrough. He became a member of the Association of Visual Artists of the GDR. But his abstract painting led to exclusion from cultural life. Western German art critics considered him too “realist”. Connecting to his expressionist experiences, he developed a mature late style. Brass is one of the artists of the lost generation.
Hans Brass was buried in the Biesdorf cemetery. The Hans Braas Plaque reminds us of his perseverance. It commemorates his artistic journey through turbulent times.