Richard Simon (painter)

Richard Simon (1898–1993) was a German expressionist. World-famous faces may be buried in oblivion. This happened to the painter Richard Simon, pseudonym 'Simmerl',[1] whose portrait on the official poster of 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin was distributed all over the world.

Paintings

Expressionist motifs, images of milky shine due to plenty of chalk mixed into oil paints. Nordic, Mediterranean, Austrian and German landscapes, portraits of his friends; in most cases using oil-based paint on painter cardboard or canvas; some sanguine and chalk drawings. The artist signed all his work as “SIM”. Simmerl lived and worked in a studio in Berlin, which he acquired from the German actress Adele Sandrock,[2] close to the famous avenue Kurfürstendamm. At this location he painted until 1991 at the age of 93 years, almost every day. He completed his last painting in 1991, which then was sold in 1992[3] The chronological order of Simmerl's paintings clearly shows how his preference for the colors he used were changing with his age: from bright springish and summerly yellow-green impressions into darker blue or even blackish fall and winter sujets.

Simmerl Posing for the Poster of the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin

The 'Propaganda Committee for the Olympic Games Berlin 1936' ordered the Hungarian graphic designer Theo Matejko[4] to submit a draft for the official 1936 Olympics poster. This portrayed his then best friend, Simmerl, whole-body nude, holding a laurel wreath, backgrounded by the Brandenburg Gate and a rising sun. The national-socialist leaders, insisted that the model's private zone had to be covered with a sash including a cockade. Furthermore, a silver swastika should adorn the cockade,[5] which Simmerl categorically rejected, using the - socially not acceptable, but historically verified - phrase “there will be no swastika on my balls”.[5] Hence Matjeko was rejected his draft, but he was allowed to keep his 5,000 Mark upfront payment

A graphic artists team integrated the basic idea and a substantial part of this draft in the poster’s final version, which is now officially attributed to the 1936 as well as today widely unknown German graphic designer Franz Würbel; thus “immortalizing” Simmerl’s face and a part of his torso. See official poster Olympic Games 1936

Circle of Friends

Simon was born in Munich and died in Berlin. During the "Roaring Twenties" the German capital was one of the centers of cultural life in Europe. Artists performing in every cultural area imaginable, gathered in Berlin; actors, singers, writers, poets, musicians, sculptors, and, of course, painters. There were theaters with spectacular performances, exiting concerts and first nights, within the upcoming film industry a rapidly increasing number of movies, new and traditional publishing houses with first editions of an entire generation of poets and writers, freedom of arts breeding expressionism and other new and experimental fine arts. Simmerl was a part of this vibrating, even boiling culture.

Besides Theo Matjeko,[4] he may name as his friends the German poets and writers Joachim Ringelnatz and Erich Kästner,[6] the Austrian and German actresses Tilla Durieux (he portrayed her) and Adele Sandrock; later, during and after worldwar II operetta singer Käthe Dorsch as well as the actors Käthe Haak and Hans Söhnker. The last 15–20 years Simmerl was closest associated with the opera singer (bass-baritone) and college professor Josef Greindl, who died the same year 1993 as did his friend.

Simmerl’s paintings, which he always used to call his “kids”[7] hung in the homes of Josef Greindl, Hans Söhnker and Käthe Haak.[2] As a grumpy maverick, Simmerl only sold as many paintings as he needed to make a basic, humble and by no means luxurious living, which, however, during his long life accumulated to a significant number. But, after all, only his friends could share the privilege of owning his finest paintings.

References
  1. Simmerl is the Bavarian pet-name for 'Simon', usually used for 'Simon' as a given name. Simmerls obituary in the newspaper Berliner Morgenpost July 4/1993, is showing his pseudonym spelled with one 'm'. The artist himself signed his letters to customers and friends as Simmerl with double-m
  2. Peter Auer: Wo einst Adele Sandrock wohnte: Unter'm Dach bei Maler Simmerl; Berliner Morgenpost, October 29, 1978 (translation: where once Adele Sandrock used to live: beyond the rooftop at painter Simmerl's)
  3. Sold to the private collector addressed in Simmerl's letter in the last footnote
  4. We find additional information on this illustrator in the German version of Wikipedia; see Theo Matejko
  5. Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung: Die Nazis liess er nicht an sich heran ...; October 20, 1991 (translation: he did not allow the Nazis getting close to him ...).
  6. Obviously Simmerl planned portraying Erich Kaestner; a portrait sketch is preserved in a private collection, which Simmerl sketched around 1930 on the backside of his painting "Female Dancer" using cool brown-blue-grey colors
  7. Quoting one of Simmerl's letters to a friend and customer: "Lieber E ... Ich hoffe dass Dir mein Kind Freude bereitet und dass Du es auch ein bisserl gut behandelst ..." (translation: Dear E ... I do hope that you are enjoying my kid and that you'll treat it well ...)
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