Rudolf Helmut Sauter (9 May 1895 ^[1] – 12 June 1977) ^{[2] [3]} was a German born painter, printmaker, illustrator, and poet. ^[4] He was the son of artist Georg Sauter and poet and suffragist Lilian Galsworthy, and the nephew and literary executor of John Galsworthy. ^{[5] [6]}

Early life

Rudolf Sauter was born in 1895. ^[7] He was educated at Harrow School, ^[4] and later studied art in London and Munich. ^[8] Sauter exhibited extensively and internationally. ^[9] This included shows in Paris, New York, and South Africa. ^[10]

Following the declaration of war with Germany, the British government passed the Aliens Restriction Act. ^[9] In December 1915, Georg was interned, and ultimately deported to Germany. ^[9] Rudolf was interned in a converted Alexandra Palace ^{[11] [9]} and in Frith Hill Camp, Surrey. ^[12] Letters written to his wife while interned are held today in the collection of the Imperial War Museum. ^{[10] [12]}

Following the war, Sauter became a naturalized British citizen, something he referred to as "purely formal", having lived in England since he was a year old. ^{[11] [13]} During World War II acted as an Army Welfare officer, visiting the wives and children of soldiers. ^[11]

Rudolf Sauter was close to his uncle John Galsworthy, about whom he wrote a memoir: Galsworthy the Man. ^[9] Following the death of Rudolf's mother, Lilian, Rudolf and his wife Viola Sauter (née Brookman) "lived for a long time with Ada and John Galsworthy... and were treated almost as though they were their children". ^[5] Sauter was Galsworthy's executor, ^[5] and bequeathed a number of his papers to the University of Birmingham on his uncle's death. ^[14]

Later life and legacy

During his later life, Rudolf and Viola lived in Stroud, Gloucestershire. ^[9] Sauter published three volumes of poetry: Crie du Coeur, A Soothing Wind and A Loving Cup. ^[9]

Sauter died in Stroud hospital, at the age of 82. ^[9]

In 2022, a book about Sauter's life and work by Jeffrey S. Reznick was published: War and Peace in the Worlds of Rudolf H. Sauter. ^[15] This was described as "the first book to examine the creative life and worlds of Rudolf H. Sauter... [revealing] him as a creative figure in his own right who produced an intriguing body of artistic and literary work." ^[15] The book was reviewed as "a welcome and overdue biography of an artist coping with the vicissitudes of war". ^[11]

External links

• Rudolf Helmut Sauter at Art UK
• Portrait of Arthur Symons (1935) by Sauter at the National Portrait Gallery, London
• Drawings of Alexandra Palace created during Sauter's internment at the Imperial War Museum
• Studies of Aircraft Contrails (1940) by Sauter in the Royal Air Force Museum, London
• Awakening by John Galsworthy (1920) illustrated by R.H. Sauter
• John Galsworthy: an Intimate Portrait (1967) by Rudolf Sauter

References