A tribute to Heinz Edelmann

Graphis, Jul/Aug 2002 by Niemann, Christoph

Studying under Professor Edelmann, at the Academy in Stuttgart, usually proceeded as follows: I would sit at my desk in one of the four rather spacious rooms occupied by his class. Three times a week the door would open around 11 a.m. Enter Mr. Edelmann. His first glance would go straight to the coffee machine. The fact that it was always filled with fresh ground coffee must have been why the professor gave our room the most attention.

Born in 1934 in the former Czechoslovakia, Heinz Edelmann studied art education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Dusseldorf, at a time when graphic design was not really being taught. In the '50s, the Disseldorf academy was one of the most dynamic places in Germany, with Joseph Beuys as the Academy's most important figure. Since the late '50s, Edelmann has been working in design, illustration, advertising, animation and as a teacher (which he used to tell us was mentioned as an "occupation" in his passport). He has lived and worked in Germany, in England and the Netherlands.

In the graphic field Edelmann is mostly known for his poster work (especially the vast number of work he did for the broadcasting station Westdeutscher Rundfunk), his innovative book cover designs for the publishing house Klett-Cotta in Stuttgart and his illustrations for magazines such as the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Willy Fleckhaus's '60s magazine icon twen. Besides that he has had a decade-long career in advertising, most of it with the cologne based ad-agency Putz.

The one piece of his oeuvre that everyone recognizes is The Beatles' movie Yellow Submarine. He is generally credited as the art director, but in fact he created a lot of the characters and was deeply involved in developing the story itself. Although the film became a staple of popular culture, it seems that Edelmann's work fundamentally changed afterwards. He often points out that he could never quite connect with the '60s mind set, and maybe this is the reason why his design and illustrations turned a lot less pretty and (on the surface) less friendly. On the one hand I am sure he still likes the movie, on the other, I guess that in order not to be pigeon-holed, he reinvented himself afterwards (and many times since).

Mainly, his teaching consisted of metaphysical monologues examining the links between the arts, literature, the irreversible dumbing down of youth, Asian mythology and graphic design. In case someone happened to be late for class, arriving in the afternoon, his inquiry about Mr. Edelmann's previous presence could easily be answered via a glance at the center of the floor. A rather large pile of ashes would be found there-a reminder of the numerous cigarettes Mr. Edelmann was bound to consume during his lectures-- clearly indicating that one had missed him and would thus have to wait until the next day to discuss one's work with him.

One of the first things he would tell a student when they came fresh into class, was to avoid pursuing a career in illustration. Edelmann had worked in all major areas of graphic design and obviously concluded that illustration is the shortest way to desperation, and to make things worse, illustrators are not even reimbursed adequately for their sufferings (unlike, for instance, their colleagues in advertising). One of the most impressive things was that he was not only extremely well informed (on everything but soccer, which he pretended not to like), but also that he was actually working in all the disciplines he talked about. Therefore his insights did not stem from some slowly grown academic wisdom and bitterness, but from his experience on a job finished just the night before.

The downside of having a professor who is in touch with the realities of the job, is that he did not always have the benevolent patience which is the hallmark of other teachers. And so his distinguished criticism was promulgated through a substantial and visionary stance rather than through friendly eulogies attempting to enhance student motivation. Admittedly, it wasn't particularly easy to resume a project after pointed remarks of what, for instance, John Wayne or Deng Xiaoping would have had to say about such endeavors. Yet, somewhere below all the layers of irony and beyond all the smoke from his Rothandle filterless cigarettes, I decided for myself that the thing that had kept him teaching for such a long time was simply a heartfelt love for art, the solid craft and the joy of telling a silly joke.

It is beyond me as to why Mr. Edelmann ended up at the Stuttgart Academy of Fine Arts (for sure, the Academy is highly regarded as one of the best, but the city of Stuttgart rarely qualifies as Germany's-not to mention Europe's-cultural epicenter) and his acute displeasure with the peculiar habits of the people of Southwestern Germany has often been brought up during his lectures. Obviously, I can only surmise but a partial explanation for his staying put in Stuttgart might be found in the local Swabian cuisine, or schwabische Kuche. I am myself no patriot when it comes to my native country, but the local Sauerbraten Spatzle, and Maultaschen are among the best of what can be found on German plates.