Karl Weschke and the reframing of Cornish modernism

Retallick, Matthew (2023) Karl Weschke and the reframing of Cornish modernism. Doctoral thesis (PhD), Manchester Metropolitan University.

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Abstract

This thesis is the first in-depth scholarly study of Karl Weschke (1925-2005), and focuses on his life, work, and construction as an artist. Born in Germany, in 1945 Weschke arrived in Britain as a Prisoner of War, and then moved to Cornwall a decade later. He has become associated with the artistic formations of post-war West Cornwall, and regularly placed under the labels of ‘St Ives modernism’ and the ‘St Ives School’. My research examines these extant art historical genres, offering a recalibration. This recognises Weschke, and others, as part of a distinct yet marginalised grouping that art historians have thus far failed to recognise. This thesis, an investigation into how and why Weschke has been misaligned, undervalued, and often omitted, provides a significant contribution to knowledge for Cornish, British, German, and Anglo-German art histories. Doing so presents a challenge to the formations of art historical national canons. To thoroughly explore these points, I adopt an interdisciplinary theoretical approach, as follows: Chapter 1 explores Weschke through archival material and literature. I scrutinise archival frameworks and provide a comprehensive literature review. These interrelated strands are the foundation to my thesis. Chapter 2 centres on Weschke’s topography, considered through the ideas of heterotopia as geographical ‘othering’, and looks at time and memory via the lens of heterochrony. Chapter 3 interrogates the canonical art historical framings of St Ives and West Cornwall and examines their bearing on Weschke’s status. My recalibration addresses the marginalisation of Weschke and others and enables the proposal of a new genre that disrupts extant framings. Chapter 4 furthers the discussion of othering, exploring identity, abjection, and trauma. This centres on conceptions of animals and allegory in Weschke’s work, and ‘Germanness’ in terms of the ‘degenerate’. Chapter 5 brings key themes full circle, for example, othering, abjection, topography, and provides analysis of Weschke’s multi-layered engagement with ideas of the sublime. This thesis unearths Weschke and confirms his importance in a recalibrated Cornish modernism and beyond.