Karl Ballmer
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Karl Ballmer | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 February 1891 Aarau, Switzerland |
| Died | 7 September 1958 (aged 67) Lugano, Switzerland |
| Known for | Painting |
Karl Ballmer (23 February 1891 – 7 September 1958) was a Swiss painter, anthroposophical philosopher, and writer.[1]
In 1918, he met Rudolf Steiner. In 1922 he settled in Hamburg.[2] After studying anthroposophy as autodidact for seven years, he tried to bring Rudolf Steiner into the discussions of the scientific world. In 1928, he published the Rudolf Steiner-Blätter for those who wanted to comprehend the so-called Rudolf Steiner Event. In 1935, an exhibition was organized for him by Hildebrand Gurlitt, who would later be tasked with selling degenerate art on the international market.[2] In 1936, he was prohibited from painting by the Nazi Government.[2]
In 1938, together with his friend, Edith van Cleef, he leaves Hamburg, Germany and moves back to Switzerland. In Lamone near Lugano he lives painting and writing for the remaining 20 years in almost total solitude. He writes about physics, philosophy, and theology – as anthroposophy. In his writings he targets fundamentals without compromises; he possesses huge natural scientific and spiritual scientific knowledge, thus the level of his publications was mostly very high. His acquaintance with Gurlitt later enabled him to facilitate the sale of several paintings of degenerate art to the Kunstmuseum Basel.[2]
In studying his works readers can experience sensitive self-encounters, (sadly) often without further consequences (in their own development). Ballmer, similar to Steiner, could be himself seen as an "Event" in development of mankind – as confrontation with the world process, of which he takes part.
Karl Ballmer's research in cognitive science and the evolution of the human self-awareness was influenced mainly by two books, 1) Rudolf Steiner's "Occult Science" (1909) and 2) Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin's "Irrthümer und Wahrheit, oder Rückweiß für die Menschen auf das allgemeine Principium aller Erkenntniß" (1782). (See quote from Karl Ballmer's "Deutsche Physik — von einem Schweizer" in the latter.)
