05 Dec Obituary – Peter von Zezschwitz
Peter von Zezschwitz departed from the physical plane in his 91st year on August 20, 2016, in Durham Hospital due to kidney failure and pneumonia. He had spent the last few years bound to a wheelchair in a nursing home. On the walls of his room hung three huge pictures of his computer art: quite dark mirror images of labyrinths of roots and branches. Then there was a group picture of Peter in the midst of a large group of Chinese students who had eagerly taken up what he had taught them on Waldorf education, Goethean colour teachings, and the two Jesus children. And there was a letter with all the news of the distinguished von Zezschwitz clan.
Peter was born (the second of four children) on March 18, 1926, in Hamburg, Germany. His parents sent him to a Waldorf school for about two years. There the work with colours made a deep impression on him. A seed was planted. His grandfather, whom he adored, had defended Ludendorff after the 1923 Ludendorff – Hitler putsch in Munich. His father was a chemist with a strong interest in agriculture. Did he suggest to Peter the choice of agriculture or a military career? Peter chose the Air Force, but ended up at 17 in the infantry, where he almost lost his life near Brescia during the retreat of the German forces from Italy. His metal belt buckle stopped the near-fatal bullet…Destiny had spared him for important work later.
After the war, at the age of 19, he decided to study graphic arts in Hamburg. In 1954 he escaped military service in the Bundeswehr (the newly re-formed German army) by emigrating to Canada. He had had enough of war. Esoterically seen, it was a gesture of consciousness-soul development and connecting to Anthroposophy. Here in Canada, in the 1950s, he found more freedom to pursue his career in graphic arts, which he eventually taught at Georgian College in Barrie, Ontario: quite an achievement for someone who never finished high school. In this position, he was able to bring Anthroposophy into a community college. He was a born teacher and highly artistic. No compromises! I still meet former students of his who speak enthusiastically about Peter’s approach. His colleagues in the department sensed that he brought something unique, and they admired his talent. But the logo that he had created for the college was not accepted due to politics and bureaucracy.
He was deeply committed to Anthroposophy. In the late 1980s, he did all the graphic work for an exhibition entitled “Anthroposophy at work” at the Metro Toronto Reference Library, put on together with Barbara Guenther and Ernst Katz. It was a huge success. He also designed a font for the Anthroposophical Society (which was never used), gave lectures, and led on-going study groups in Anthroposophy. In addition, he wrote a synopsis of his research into the sacred geometry of the second Goetheanum.
His creativity blossomed in graphic arts (in later life, also computer mirror images), architecture, and the designing of logos, but also in practical things like gardening and renovating houses. Whatever he created had the stamp of his genius. There were also bitter disappointments when some of his designs were not accepted.
In his eighties, he had a new impulse and went to China to support a Waldorf initiative in Chengdu, where he was received with openness and warmth. One of his fondest memories was of the deep wonder and reverence with which the student-teachers experienced the Advent garden spiral.
Peter learned to fearlessly speak “the truth”. His truth would occasionally clash with other truths, and in his later years, there was – due to sclerosis – an increasing hardening of his ideas, especially around topics related to World War II, which made conversation difficult and led to some isolation. But he always had a circle of friends. He was a leader, a teacher, an artist and an anthroposophist – someone always in the process of becoming. He is survived by a daughter, Cora, from his first marriage to Marlene, and by a son, Jonas, from his second marriage to Grace.
Peter, thank you for being.
Werner Fabian, MD
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