Born in the heart of the village, at 5 Place du Marché, René Kuder is one of those figures who shape the identity of a territory. Painter, illustrator, watercolorist, master glassmaker, he has captured the soul of the people and landscapes of the valley.
Through his works, an entire era is expressed: that of peasants bringing in hay, washerwomen at the washhouse, refugees thrown onto the roads of exile, but also that of a profoundly human faith and a visceral attachment to the native land.
Deeply rooted villains
René Kuder was born on November 23, 1882 in Villé. He was the son of Aloyse Kuder, a wood turner and winegrower, descendant of an old Villé family, and Stéphanie Disch. The family home, located on rue du Général-Leclerc (formerly Hintergass), was the cradle of his childhood.
His father, a cultured man, passionate about history and a fervent republican, played a decisive role in his intellectual development. To this family influence was added that of his schoolteacher, Monsieur Bittinger, who recognized in the child an early talent for drawing and encouraged him to pursue his artistic vocation.
His childhood was marked by an ordeal: having become temporarily blind following an illness, he regained his sight.
A vocation affirmed against all odds
At the end of his schooling, his father wanted him to pursue a trade. For over three years, René learned the craft of woodturning while devoting his free time to reading and painting. But his desire to become an artist was stronger.
In 1899, he entered the School of Decorative Arts in Strasbourg. His talent was quickly recognized: he obtained a scholarship from the City of Strasbourg to continue his studies at the Kunstakademie in Munich in 1905.
In Munich, he frequented the studio of Martin Feuerstein, originally from Barr and holder of the chair of religious art. This period was decisive. His inclination towards religious subjects solidified, and he received the Grand Silver Medal from the Academy. It was also there that he met Mathilde Vollmair, whom he later married.
René Kuder is part of the last generation of Alsatian artists to have benefited from a dual apprenticeship, in Strasbourg and Munich, which profoundly marks his style.
To paint man above all
To understand René Kuder's art is to understand his humanism. In his work, open-mindedness, republican convictions, and Christian faith are not opposed: they complement each other.
He paints men and women at work: peasants, washerwomen, laborers. He feels close to these simple figures, whom he depicts with dignity and truth. His saints and disciples are not idealized figures: they bear the features of the inhabitants of Villé. Beyond God, it is the human soul that he seeks.
In 1912, a scene of a washhouse painted in Villé, at a place called "Unter'em Schopff," brought him his first recognition. Sent to Leipzig for a competition organized by the magazine Die Woche, the work was noticed by a jury chaired by Max Liebermann. He won second prize. The work was exhibited in Strasbourg and cemented his reputation.
In his various versions of The Washerwomen, we can already observe his ability to change the atmosphere: from an almost lighthearted communal scene to a more introspective representation where each woman seems absorbed in her thoughts.
The Villé Valley, muse and matrix
For René Kuder, the landscape is never a mere backdrop. The Villé valley is a component of his personality.
His painting almost captures the smells of the earth, his earth. He doesn't just paint what he sees: he paints what he feels.
An artist recognized beyond Alsace
He began exhibiting in Strasbourg in 1912. His career gained momentum between the two world wars. He created stained glass windows and murals, notably in the church of Maisonsgoutte. He participated in the Salon des Artistes Français, where he won a bronze medal in 1924, a gold medal in 1932, and was subsequently awarded the status of Hors-concours (outside the competition).
In 1934, he received the Rosa Bonheur Prize for an animal composition, demonstrating his perfect knowledge of anatomy, acquired from childhood through contact with animals.
He exhibited in Strasbourg, Mulhouse, and also abroad: Antwerp, Baden-Baden, Chicago, London. In 1937, he participated in the Universal Exhibition in Paris for the Alsace Pavilion.
After the Second World War, he created a remarkable set of stained glass windows in Lutterbach and illustrated prestigious works, including "Les Ponts de Paris" by Henri Troyat and "Versailles" by Jean de La Varende. He also exhibited in Paris, at Durand-Ruel.
The ordeal of exile and war
In 1939, the family was evacuated to Clermont-Ferrand. The light of Auvergne overwhelmed him: too intense, almost blinding, it prevented him from painting for several months. When he picked up his brushes again, his watercolors became brighter, as if transformed by this new atmosphere.
The war hit his family hard. His eldest daughter, Stéphanie, involved in the Resistance, was arrested during the raid on the University of Clermont-Ferrand on November 25, 1943. She was deported to Ravensbrück, then transferred to Hanover and Bergen-Belsen. This tragedy deeply affected the artist.
Despite the hardships, he resumed his post-war activity with the same high standards and the same loyalty to his values.
A man of principles… and humor
René Kuder's work, rooted in Christian values and hard work, might suggest an austere personality. Those who knew him, however, describe a jovial man, committed to the rules of social life but possessing a genuine sense of humor, evident in some of his drawings and illustrations.
He died in Strasbourg in 1962. Since then, several retrospective exhibitions, notably in Villé, have made it possible to rediscover the extent of his work and to measure the legacy left to our territory.
His work is a precious testament: that of an artist who knew how to unite faith, humanism, and love of the land. By painting the inhabitants of Villé, their daily gestures, their landscapes, he inscribed the valley in the history of Alsatian art.