Ernst Kreidolf
Born in 1863.
Died in 1956.
His family moved to Constance in 1868, while he grew up with his grandparents in Tägerwilen. After an apprenticeship as a lithographer in Constance, he studied at the Munich School of Applied Arts and at the Academy of Fine Arts. Health problems interrupted his studies in 1889; having withdrawn to Partenkirchen, he then created images inspired by myths, legends and fairy tales.
His watercolours for Blumenmärchen (Flower Tales), published in 1898 together with lithographs that he made himself, launched his career as an illustrator. He subsequently created several books in which flowers, insects and other elements of nature come to life in imaginary worlds: Die schlafenden Bäume (1901), Die Wiesenzwerge (1902), Sommervögel (1908) and Der Gartentraum (1911). He also painted landscapes, portraits and spiritual subjects.
Settled in Bern from 1917 onwards, he took part in the local artistic life and, from 1922, served on the acquisitions committee of the Kunstmuseum Bern. His literary estate is preserved at the Burgerbibliothek Bern; the Kunstmuseum Bern holds the artistic bequest entrusted to the Ernst Kreidolf Association. His work had a lasting impact on the development of the illustrated children’s book.
