Karl Schmid (artist)

His mother, who was left to live in extreme poverty, suffered from epilepsy and schizophrenia; at each of her hospitalizations, Schmid was sent to an orphanage, where he spent his childhood and a good part of his adolescence.

Schmid frequently dreamt of becoming a medical surgeon, but he also demonstrated a passion for woodcarving, which he further explored through an apprenticeship as a cabinetmaker and carpenter.

"...Their mutual illness, but even more so their common enthusiasm for a new expressive concept of art, brought them closer together, and a deep friendship quickly developed.

Upon closer inspection, he recognised Schmid's natural talent for depicting human anatomy, praising his work and subsequently hiring him as a surgical illustrator –the first of his kind– at the University of Zurich.

At the time, Arp was grieving due to the loss of his first wife, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, who had died a year earlier in an accident at Max Bill's house, where they were both guests.

Later, Max Bill would accompany Arp to Schmid's studio, in an attempt to help his friend overcome his depression through new artistic projects.

There, he organized an environment for each type of craft: painting, woodcarving, engraving, and even blacksmithing, where he created most of his iron and bronze pieces of the 1970s and 1880s.

In 1971, at the age of 57, he retired early from teaching: the illness from which he had been suffering for some time worsened, yet he would never stop his artistic pursuits, giving life to a great deal of artwork, including several architectural murals.

His rare exhibitions happened generally due to the initiative of public or private institutions In 1944, Schmid began teaching scientific drawing classes at the Zurich School of Applied Arts, after receiving a formal invitation by director Johannes Itten.

(...) His great role models, Rudolf Steiner and Heinrich Pestalozzi, inspired him to treat his students with the utmost respect.

The whole work lasted seven years and in the end included about 180 watercolour plates drawn with extreme precision".In the same timeframe, he also organised a didactic design experience with students, involving the making of a table set of wooden cutlery.

"He gladly accepted the invitation and proposed to also showcase the works of his students from the preliminary course and scientific illustration class.

Max Bill, who was commissioned to make a reform proposal for the School of Arts and Crafts, stated in his final observations that the institute should be closed because of its outdated teaching methods.