Joseph Beuys was a German performing artist and a sculptor who lived between 1921 and 1986. Born in Germany, Beuys had a German upbringing which significantly influenced his character and beliefs later in his adulthood. His extensive works were sentimental to that era as he later became a popular figure in the initiation and advancement of the Fluxus movement responsible for the period’s massive transformation of the arts industry. During this period, many western artists became weary of the traditional ‘heroic’ painting and wanted to try out something else captivating. As a result of the rampant dissatisfaction and the contemporary changes in arts, artists got attracted to commercialism causing a major abandonment of the original artwork. Relatively new in the field of art, Beuys through his humanistic and social approach to music and sculpture impacted the way art was done. He proved that art can originate from personal instincts and not necessarily from physical objects in the environment. According to him, art had a healing power and should thus be viewed as a way of life as opposed to the widespread desire to commercialize artwork (Adams " Moffitt, 2003). Beuys also used his abilities in the art to influence political, environmental and social ideas that affected society. Through this approach, Joseph Beuys became an all-rounded artist who did not only transformed art but also improved society through artistic based humanitarian acts. This paper will reflect on the influential life of Beuys and how it improved the lives of others.
Beuys’ interest in his early years was majorly focused on natural sciences. He accounts that he once considered of becoming a medical practitioner but ended up being a sculptor because of the conforming factors he experienced in his study life (Adams " Moffitt, 2003). After Beuys was born in Krefeld, his parents moved to Kleve town in lower Rhine Germany where he would attend primary and secondary school. While at school, teachers noticed that he had a talent in drawing and music. They allowed him to have piano and cello lessons as a way to nurture his abilities. It was, however, his frequent visits to Achilles Moortgat’s studios- a Flemish painter and sculptor, that added desire to his painting and music abilities. To strengthen his urge for arts, Beuys was greatly impressed by portraits of Wilhelm Lehmbruck’s sculptures which inspired him into being a sculptor. Before he graduated from the school in 1941, Beuys had an experience on attending and caring animals from the circus where he developed a passion for animals which he later incorporated in his artwork. An example of his work that showed his affection to animals is his performance entitled “How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare.” ("Joseph Beuys Overview and Analysis", 2018).
Being a member of the Hitler youth, Beuys obtained military training as expected of every German adolescent, and he later volunteered to participate in World War II. After his return from combat, he reunited with local sculptors and artists from Kleve and enrolled to the Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts. While studying arts, Beuys developed an impeccable interest for anthroposophical philosophy of Rudolf Steiner making it his basis for reasoning. The ideas dictated that historical proceedings have no relevance in the contemporary unfolding convincing Beuys that something can be done to change current trends and society. Consequently, the philosophical tenets enabled Beuys to manifest his ideologies regarding the political and social environment of the time. He got engaged in national politics and universal artistic movements using his sculptural artworks to protest oppressive laws and practices.
In 1961, Beuys was appointed a professor of ‘monumental sculpture’ at Dusseldorf. It was at this institution that he built his teaching profession alongside sharing his ideologies prompted by the belief that arts are less of a profession and more of humanitarian experience. Beuys came into the public limelight in 1964 following a scuffle with his students as he performed action to mark the 20th anniversary which coincided with Hitler's attempted murder. During the following years, Beuys unleashed his philosophical stance and developed a renegade policy that abolished the entry requirements for his classes. The liberalism he exhibited was not taken lightly by the school and lead to his dismissal. Although he was forced to leave his post, Beuys never accepted his release and inspired protest from students, artists, and critics ("Joseph Beuys Overview and Analysis", 2018). The support he received from the various groups that protested in solidarity encouraged him to intensify his public lectures and to further indulge in German politics. Many institutions sought after him to give public lectures to their students due to his increasing public consciousness.
Conclusion
Throughout his professional life, Joseph Beuys insisted that historical elements should not restrict people from exploring the contemporary and more so, no person should be bound to his/her past. He wanted the same to be replicated in arts. Based on his accounts, Beuys consistently blurred the line between arts and life as shown through his actions and sculptural artworks. He wanted his students to have no boundaries in exploring their abilities and artistic passion. The most notable aspect of his teachings is that tried as much as possible not to influence the experience of his students and society by allowing them to make their own decisions. Nonetheless, Joseph Beuys is a remarkable performance artist and sculptor who taught society the meaning of living a free life. His teachings inspired a new breed of artists mostly out of his students, who can explore artwork without being held down by traditions and normalcy.
References
Adams, D., " Moffitt, J. (2003). Joseph Beuys. Art Journal, 50(1), 96. doi: 10.2307/777096
Joseph Beuys Overview and Analysis. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.theartstory.org/artist beuys-joseph.htm
