Moses Kottler

Abstract

Moses Kottler is in 1892 in die Russiese dorpie Joniskis in Littoue gebore. Reeds op vierjarige ouderdom het hy 'n besondere aanleg in beeldhoukuns geopenbaar. In 1911 immigreer die Kottler-gesin na Suid-Afrika. Moses word egter na die Bazalel Kunsskool in Jerusalem gestuur waar hy skilder- en tekenkuns bestudeer, maar teen die einde van dieselfde jaar vertrek hy na Munchen, Duitsland om soortgelyke opleiding aan die Akademie van Kuns te ondergaan. Gedurende 1913 besluit hy om hom in Parys verder te bekwaam en al daar het hy vir hom 'n ateljee gehuur en vir die eerste keer self beeldhouwerk gedoen. Met die uitbreek van die Eerste Wêreldoorlog het Kottler na Suid-Afrika teruggekeer. Hy vestig hom gedurende 1915 in die Oudtshoorndistrik waar hy hom op skilder- sowel as beeldhouwerk toelê. In 1917 besluit hy om hom in Kaapstad te vestig. Gedurende 1922 het Kottler sy eerste openbare eenmanuitstalling in die Stadsaal van Kaapstad gehou. Gedurende die jaar laat hy 'n aantal van sy werke tydens sy besoek aan London in brons giet. In 1924 hou hy in die Ashbey Kunssaal in Kaapstad 'n uitstalling saam met mej. D. Taylor. Reeds op hierdie vroeë stadium het Kottler bekendheid as beeldhouer in Kaapstad verwerf en het hy gevolglik ook verskeie opdragte ontvang. In 1928 tree hy met mej. Eva Goldberg in die huwelik en vertrek kort daarna op 'n driejarige studiereis na Europa. Tydens hulle verblyf in London het Kottler in die Leicester-galery van sy werke uitgestal. Na hulle terugkeer na Suid-Afrika het Kottler gedurende 1932 op uitnodiging van Prof. M.L. du Toit 'n uitstalling van sy werk in die Macfadyensaal in Pretoria gehou. In dieselfde jaar vestig die Kottlers hulle in Johannesburg. In 1949 het Kottler die Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns se goue medalje vir sy besondere bydrae tot kuns in Suid-Afrika ontvang. Verskeie van sy werke wat op internasionale uitstallings ten toon gestel is, het groot lof ingeoes. Kottler staan bekend as 'n kunstenaar wat daarna streef om uitdrukking te gee aan die werklikheid. Hierin slaag hy omdat hy 'n skerp waarnemingsvermoë besit, in diep gevoel vir die fynhede van uitdrukking en 'n bekwaamheid om deur te dring tot die wese van sy onderwerp. Eenvoud is Kottler se uitgangspunt sodat hy die optimale resultaat verkry uit wat oenskynlik die minimum van inspanning verg. Sy beeldhouwerke is nog uitsluitlik modern, nog uitsluitlik konvensioneel omdat hy horn by die ouer styl kan aanpas en nietemin waarderend teenoor sommige moderne neigings staan. Kottler se styl word tot 'n groot mate deur die materiaal wat hy gebruik bepaal. In sy gemodelleerde werke is daar minder stilering as in die werke wat hy uit klip of hout gebeitel het. Kottler het verskillende genres beoefen: Hy het portretopdragte van staatsmanne en van leidende figure op kulturele en geestelike gebied ontvang. Hy het ook verskillende portretstudies van goeie vriende en veral van kinders gemaak. Verder het hy verskeie figuurstudies van jong vroue, Bantoe-meidjies, die Moeder en Kind tema en 'n aantal reliëfs in hout, sement en klip gemaak. Afgesien hiervan het hy ook 'n groot verskeidenheid bekende openbare monumente wat hoofsaaklik in Johannesburg en Pretoria opgerig is voltooi. Dit behoort dus duidelik te blyk dat Kottler 'n veelsydige kunstenaar is wat 'n indrukwekkende bydrae tot die beeldhoukuns in Suid-Afrika gelewer het.

Moses Kottler was born in 1892 in the Russian village of Joniskis in Lithuania. At the early age of four, he already showed signs of a talent for sculpture. In 1911 the Kottler family immigrated to South Africa. Moses was sent to the Bezalel Art School in Jerusalem where he studied drawing and painting. Towards the end of the same year he left for Munich, Germany for similar training at the Art Academy. During the year 1923 he decided to train further in Paris. There he rented a studio and for the first time, did sculpture himself. When the First World War broke out, Kottler returned to South Africa. In 1915 he settled in the Oudtshoorn district and devoted himself to both painting and sculpture. In 1917 he moved to Cape Town. It was here that he held his first one man exhibition in the city hall in 1922. During a visit to London ln the same year he cast a number of his works in bronze. In 1924 he held a joint exhibition with Miss D. Taylor in the Ashbey Art hall, in Cape Town. At this early stage, Kottler was already a well-known sculptor in Cape Town and as a result had received various assignments. He married Miss Eva Goldberg in 1928 and shortly afterwards undertook a three year study tour of Europe. During their stay in London Kottler exhibited some of his works in the Leicester Gallery. After their return to South Africa, Kottler held an exhibition in the Macfadyen Hall, Pretoria. This was at the invitation of Prof. M.L. du Toit in 1932. In the same year the Kottler family settled in Johannesburg. The South African Academy for Arts and Science awarded him a gold medal in 1949, for his exceptional contribution to art in South Africa. Various works of the sculptor which have been displayed on international exhibitions, have earned much praise. Kottler is known as an artist who strives to express reality. He succeeds in this as he has an acute sense of perception, a deep feeling for delicacy of expression, and the ability to penetrate to the essence of the subject. Simplicity is Kottler's starting point so that he obtains the maximum results from what at a glance seems to demand minimum effort. His sculpture is neither exclusively modern nor exclusively conventional as he can adopt to the older style and can, nevertheless, compare appreciatively with some of the modern trends. Kottler's style is largely determined by the material he uses. His modelled works are less stylistic than those which he has carved out of wood or stone. Kottler uses several genres: He received assignments for portraits from statesmen and from various leading figures in the cultural and intellectual fields. He also made various portraits of good friends and especially of children. Further he made figure studies of young women, Bantu girls, the mother and child theme and a number of reliëfs in wood, cement and stone. Apart from these he also completed a wide variety of public monuments which have been mainly erected in Johannesburg and Pretoria. It should therefore be evident that Kottler is a versatile artist who has made an impressive contribution to sculpture in South Africa