‘Oh, that the inner creative power might burst forth through my mind!’ – Goethe the draughtsman

Topic: ‘Oh, that the inner creative power might burst forth through my mind!’ – Goethe as a draughtsman

Speaker: Martin Strauch, Goethe Society Ilmenau-Stützerbach e. V.

Time: Friday, 25 September 2026, 3.00 pm

Venue: TU Ilmenau, Faraday Lecture Theatre, Weimarer Straße 32, entrance via Prof. Schmidt-Straße

Admission: 5 euros

To this day, we know of around 2,700 sketches and drawings by Johann Wolfgang Goethe: alongside some 1,000 works featuring Thuringian motifs, these are primarily pictures from Italy. On almost all his journeys, Goethe took up his pencil to complement the written word and sketched. These visual artworks, carefully preserved in Weimar, impressively complement the poetic and essayistic work of this versatile artist. Yet it was in Italy that Goethe realised a career as a great visual artist would remain beyond his reach. And so he continued to draw, purely for the pleasure of it, amongst the circle of friends at the Musenhof. 

Martin Strauch, a member of the Goethe Society of Ilmenau-Stützerbach, invites visitors to the TU Ilmenau Bürgercampus to a digital exhibition opening. Alongside quick outline sketches and portraits, he also presents finely executed works that continue to impress to this day. 

Ursula Nirsberger
TU Ilmenau Citizens’ Campus
03677 69-4794 
buergercampus@tu-ilmenau.de