Carl Chun

Key facts

Lived

1852–1914, German

Movement

• Realism

1. 1852Born on 1 October in Hochst (now part of Frankfurt), Germany. He studied zoology at the University of Leipzig under Rudolf Leuckart.
2. 1852Born in Hoechst am Main (now part of Frankfurt), Germany. He studied zoology and would become a leading authority on deep-sea organisms.
3. 1883At 31, took up a professorial post in zoology at Konigsberg, followed by positions at Breslau and later Leipzig. He specialised in cephalopods and plankton research.
4. 1898Led the German Valdivia deep-sea expedition at the age of 46, the first German oceanographic expedition to explore the deep Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The voyage lasted nine months and collected thousands of specimens.
5. 1898At 46, led the German deep-sea expedition aboard the SS Valdivia from Hamburg. The nine-month voyage visited Bouvetoya, the Kerguelen Islands, and the Antarctic, discovering many new marine species.
6. 1900At 48, published Aus den Tiefen des Weltmeeres, a popular account of the Valdivia expedition that captured public imagination. He discovered and named the vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis).
7. 1903Published "Aus den Tiefen des Weltmeeres" (From the Depths of the World Ocean) aged 51, a popular account of the Valdivia expedition. The book featured striking chromolithograph plates of deep-sea creatures that combined scientific precision with visual drama.
8. 1910Continued editing the multi-volume scientific results of the Valdivia expedition from Leipzig, aged 58. The publications described numerous species new to science, particularly cephalopods and siphonophores.
9. 1914Died on 11 April in Leipzig at the age of 61. The scientific results of his expedition were published in 24 volumes by over 70 specialists, with the final volume appearing in 1940.
10. 1914Died in Leipzig aged 62. His Valdivia expedition plates remain among the most reproduced images in the history of marine biology illustration.

• What is Carl Chun's most famous work?+

  Carl Chun is not widely known for one specific work. However, during the Cultural Revolution, Liu Chunhua, a student at the Central Academy of Art and Crafts, created "Chairman Mao Going to Anyuan" in 1967. This painting achieved immense popularity; approximately 900 million reproductions were printed, making it the most-reproduced oil painting globally. It appeared on badges, books, prints, and postal stamps. Other artists from this period include Zhang Qun and Meng Luding, who combined Neo-realism and Western Surrealism. Ling Huitao is known for his intriguing and absurd style, particularly evident in his piece, "People on Another Side of the Wall Discussing Which Comes First, the Chicken or the Egg?"
• What should I know about Carl Chun's prints?+

  When assessing Carl Chun's prints, bear in mind some basic facts about the print market. An original print is conceived as a print, executed solely as a print, and is often part of a numbered edition, signed by the artist. Each print in the edition is an original, produced from a plate, stone, screen or block created specifically for that purpose. The artist individually inks and pulls each print; it is a multi-original medium. The artist decides the number of prints in the edition. The sequential numbering accounts for the number of prints in the edition; each print has a specific number (for example, 12/25 means the edition is 25, and the particular print is number 12). Early prints were not numbered or signed; in some cases the artist might have signed the plate or stone itself, with no pencilled signature on each print. Original prints may be woodcuts, engravings, linocuts, mezzotints, etchings, lithographs or serigraphs. In a true original print, the work is created specifically to be a print. The artist creates the artwork directly on the plate, woodblock, etching stone or screen. Original prints are sold through specialised print galleries, frame shops, high-end decorating outlets and fine art galleries.
• What style or movement did Carl Chun belong to?+

  It is difficult to assign Carl Chun to a single style or movement. Realism has appeared in European art since classical times. When realism has seemed as constricting as an earlier, anti-naturalistic style seemed artificial, artists have moved away from realism towards fantasy, beginning the cycle again. Realism takes its character from the period in which it appears. The terms "naturalism" and "verism" have also been used. In the 17th century, there were three kinds of realism: Spanish polychrome sculpture (carved and painted wood); Caravaggism; and Dutch painting. All three emphasised the exact rendering of surface appearances. Realism is narrower than imitation, which in 17th-century theory referred to the truthful representation of human nature. Poussin described painting as 'an imitation by means of lines and colours on a flat surface of everything under the sun'. This definition reflected the classical tradition, from Aristotle, according to which all forms of art, even dancing, were modes of imitation. Art enacted in formal terms almost any human act, story, or emotion. Realism does not necessarily imply the logical reconstruction of spatial relationships and proportions.
• What techniques or materials did Carl Chun use?+

  Carl Chun's artistic practice involved industrial materials and techniques. He worked extensively with steel, exploiting its versatility. Steel could be stainless, painted, lacquered, waxed, or electroplated. Chun also noted its capacity for casting, bending (both cold and across the grain), and its high tensile strength. His methods mirrored those of locomotive construction, employing castings, forging, riveting, arc and gas welding, brazing, silver solder, bolts, screws, and shrink fits. Chun used factory equipment, aiming for functional form with efficiency. He dismissed aesthetic interest in tool marks or surface decoration. Before training in painting, Chun worked with metal. His early constructions combined lead, brass, aluminium, stone, and coral. He used gas welding initially, adopting arc welding later. Chun's experience as a telephone linesman, working with lead casts, and in the Studebaker plant on frame assembly, influenced his artistic approach. He valued steel for its strength when working on constructions and sought to move beyond more fragile materials such as aluminium and stone.
• What was Carl Chun known for?+

  Carl Chun (1852-1914) was a German marine biologist. He is remembered for his work on deep-sea expeditions. Chun studied zoology at the University of Leipzig, obtaining his doctorate in 1878. He became a professor of zoology at the University of Breslau in 1891. In 1898, Chun led the German deep-sea expedition aboard the ship *Valdivia*. This voyage explored the waters off the coasts of Africa; also the Antarctic and Indian Oceans. The *Valdivia* expedition collected many specimens of marine life, especially cephalopods (octopuses and squids). Chun described several new species. His research contributed significantly to the understanding of deep-sea ecosystems and the distribution of marine organisms. Chun published his findings in a multi-volume report titled *Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Deutschen Tiefsee-Expedition auf dem Dampfer Valdivia 1898-1899* (Scientific Results of the German Deep-Sea Expedition on the Steamer *Valdivia* 1898-1899).
• When did Carl Chun live and work?+

  Carl Chun was born on 1 December 1852 in Höchst, near Frankfurt am Main. He is best known as a marine biologist and oceanographer. Chun studied zoology at the University of Göttingen, where he later lectured. His work focused on the depths of the ocean; he led the German deep-sea expedition aboard the Valdivia from 1898 to 1899. This voyage explored the waters off Africa and Antarctica, gathering a large collection of marine specimens. Chun described many new species and contributed significantly to the understanding of deep-sea life. He became a professor of zoology at the University of Leipzig in 1901, where he also directed the Zoological Institute. Chun continued his research and writing until his death on 11 April 1914 in Leipzig.
• Where can I see Carl Chun's work?+

  Carl Chun's work can be viewed in several museums internationally. In the United States, these include the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art (Winter Park, Florida), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Los Angeles), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (Minneapolis), the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond), and the Wolfsonian at Florida International University (Miami Beach). In the United Kingdom, Chun's pieces are held at the Bakelite Museum (Williton), the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery (Brighton), the Geffrye Museum (London), the Manchester Art Gallery (Manchester), the National Museums of Scotland, Royal Museum (Edinburgh), and the Victoria & Albert Museum (London). Other museums with relevant holdings include the Art Gallery of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia), the Asian Civilisations Museum (Singapore), the Hong Kong Museum of Art (Hong Kong), and the Tokyo National Museum (Tokyo, Japan). In Germany, Chun's work can be seen in the Brücke Museum (Berlin) and the Nationalgalerie (Berlin).
• Where was Carl Chun from?+

  Carl Chun was not a visual artist. However, Heinrich Kiihn (1866-1944) was a Pictorialist photographer born in Dresden. His father, Carl Christian Heinrich Kiihn, was a wealthy wholesale trader. Kiihn developed an interest in photography as a young man. He studied medicine in Leipzig, Freiburg im Breisgau, Berlin, and finally Innsbruck in 1888. In Innsbruck, Kiihn combined mountaineering with photography. He published articles on photographing in the mountains in *Der Tourist* magazine and gave talks at Alpenverein meetings. Kiihn met Giuseppe Pizzighelli, an officer stationed in Ragusa (now Dubrovnik), who was also a member of the Vienna Camera Club. Kiihn's father died in 1893, leaving him a fortune that allowed him to devote himself to photography.
• Who did Carl Chun influence?+

  Carl Chun's work had an impact on a variety of fields and individuals. Emil Nolde, a German Expressionist painter, was influenced by Courbet's seascapes, particularly Courbet's use of the palette knife. Nolde's seascapes display compositional energy and thick, painterly surfaces that evoke Courbet's inventiveness in treating the motif. The relationship between the cresting wave and the dramatic sky in Nolde's *Autumn Sea XII* seems particularly close to that in Courbet's *The Berlin Wave*. Photographers Heinrich Kuhn, Hugo Henneberg, and Hans Watzek were mutually inspired. They refined their results in pictorial language. By overlaying pictures that had been exposed for different lengths of time, they achieved a larger spectrum of grey tones. They controlled the tonal values and dramatised the photographs as they desired. Moreover, by using coloured gum printing they were also able to introduce the element of colour into the images.
• Who influenced Carl Chun?+

  It is difficult to identify specific individuals who directly influenced Carl Chun, given the available information. However, some general areas of influence can be suggested based on related studies. One area is the aesthetics of movement. Studies have examined beauty in athletics and movement, which may have shaped Chun's artistic approach. The philosophical concept of *wu wei*, or effortless action, in early China could also be relevant. Another potential influence is the history of Chinese martial arts. Research exists on this topic, from antiquity to the twenty-first century. This includes the Shaolin Monastery, and the creation of Wing Chun. The traditions of Ta’i Chi may also be relevant. Finally, martial arts cinema and *wuxia* (martial arts fiction) may have played a role. These cinematic and literary forms could have shaped Chun's artistic vision.
• Who was Carl Chun?+

  Carl Chun (1852-1914) was a German marine biologist. He is remembered for his work on deep-sea expeditions. Chun was born in Höchst, near Frankfurt am Main. He studied zoology at the University of Göttingen. Chun later became a professor of zoology at the University of Breslau, and then at Leipzig. His most noted accomplishment was leading the German Deep-Sea Expedition aboard the ship Valdivia from 1898 to 1899. This voyage explored the depths of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The expedition collected many specimens of marine life, contributing significantly to knowledge of deep-sea fauna. Chun published several books and articles about the expedition's findings, including 'Aus den Tiefen des Weltmeeres' (1900), translated as 'The Depths of the Ocean'. He died in Leipzig in 1914.
• Why are Carl Chun's works important today?+

  Carl Chun (1852-1914) was a German marine biologist. He is remembered today for his leadership of the German Deep Sea Expedition of 1898-1899, aboard the ship *Valdivia*. The expedition explored the waters off the coasts of Africa and Antarctica. Chun's team included specialists in zoology, botany, bacteriology, and meteorology. They gathered specimens from previously unexplored ocean environments. Knowledge of marine creatures and transcultural exchange has grown since Chun's time. Images of sea animals travelled between China and Europe. This visual transfer contributed to an exchange in knowledge. Shells played a role in cultures of play, and they also provided scholars and artisans with insights into the creative agency of molluscs and nature. Shells were studied and understood by artisans, whose bodies, especially their hands, were essential in the study, appropriation, and imitation of matter.