A Life For The Arts
Ilse Hausner’s paintings embody a remarkable fusion of personal resilience, reverence for tradition, and a modern quest for clarity. Each canvas reveals her deep sensitivity to form and color, as well as her unwavering belief in art’s ability to transcend even the darkest chapters of history. Her portraits, landscapes, and still lifes echo the influence of Europe’s great masters while retaining a singular vision—one that insists on finding beauty, simplicity, and emotional truth. The result is an oeuvre that continues to resonate with those seeking authenticity and depth in 20th-century European art.
Personal Life
Ilse Hausner was born on March 20, 1920, in Zwittau (Mähren). From early childhood, she showed an exceptional gift for drawing and painting—encouraged by her grandfather, Oscar Krause, a successful entrepreneur and passionate amateur artist. Eager to pursue her dreams in a time when few women were admitted to elite academies, she enrolled at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts in 1938.
When World War II broke out, her studies and personal life were upended. Bombings reduced her Dresden studio—and all of her early works—to ashes during the night of February 13, 1945. The trauma of losing her paintings left her reluctant to sell anything she created afterward, ensuring much of her oeuvre remains intact today.
Following the war, she fled the Soviet sector with her fellow artist and fiancé, Wolfgang Witschel, himself a wounded frontline veteran and sculptor (trained under a student of Auguste Rodin). The couple settled in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps near Lake Tegernsee, where they hand-built their artist’s home and married in 1948. This idyllic setting became their creative sanctuary, grounding their work in the beauty of nature and the bond they shared.
Influences
Though deeply marked by the war’s turmoil, Hausner’s response was to reaffirm the enduring power of beauty. In her painting style, she chose purity of form, vibrant yet carefully selected colors, and an overall sense of harmony—a deliberate counterpoint to the horrors she had witnessed. A student of Professor Waldapfel and later Professor Schramm-Zittau (a pupil of Heinrich von Zügel), Hausner was also profoundly inspired by Paul Cézanne for his methodical observation of nature, Piero della Francesca for his timeless frescoes, and Paula Modersohn-Becker and August Macke for their emotional clarity.
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She often spoke of painting as the “translation of nature”, preferring to work en plein air to capture landscapes in their purest state. Her lifelong travels to Tuscany, especially San Gimignano, began in 1957 and continued until she was 85. The autumn light and colors of the Tuscan hills became a recurring theme in her sketches and canvases, reflecting her desire to preserve fleeting moments of natural splendor. These journeys served as both inspiration and a form of creative refuge, enabling her to synthesize her war memories with a steadfast belief in the restorative power of art.
Professional Life
Following the war, Hausner’s initial income came through commissioned paintings. Between 1958 and 1961, she developed a significant collaboration with Paul Solomons in New York, creating Venetian views in the style of Canaletto under the pseudonym “BUSH.” Her skill caught the attention of international clients, although her production remained limited due to her meticulous approach. Around the same time, she worked with Martin Jacob in Hamburg-Blankenese, broadening her reach within Germany.
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By 1961, the demand for her husband Wolfgang Witschel’s sculptures offered them greater financial stability, allowing Hausner to reduce her commission work and focus on her individual artistic style. Her friendship with fellow artist Herbert Beck was also pivotal; together, they shared creative insights and critiques that shaped Hausner’s paintings. Over the decades, she produced a substantial body of work—much of which remains intact because of her initial reluctance to sell after losing her Dresden studio.
