Fidus

Hugo Reinhold Karl Johann Höppener (8 October 1868 – 23 February 1948), known under the pseudonym Fidus, was a German illustrator, painter, and publisher. Part of the symbolist movement, his later work took influence from the Art Nouveau and Vienna Secession styles. By the turn of the century, his works were among the most popular in Germany and their rediscovery influenced the Psychedelia movement. Much of his art draws from his beliefs in mysticism and Germanic neopaganism.

==Biography== thumb|The Fidushaus in Woltersdorf near Berlin. This house was built after designs by Fidus between 1908 and 1910. Today it is a cultural heritage monument. Born the son of a confectioner in Lübeck, Höppener demonstrated artistic talent at an early age. Around 1886 he met the "apostle of nature" and artist Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach (1851–1913), and joined Diefenbach's commune near Munich. On Diefenbach's behalf, he served a brief prison sentence for public nudity, earning him the name Fidus ("faithful"). thumb|left|Monument for the killed First World War Soldiers from Woltersdorf, Relief was made by Fidus. In 1892 he moved to Berlin, set up another commune, and worked as an illustrator on the magazine Sphinx. His work appeared frequently in Jugend and other illustrated magazines. He created many ornamental drawings, especially for book decoration, as well as ex-libris, posters and designs. He was one of the first artists to use advertising postcards to promote his work. He also contributed to the early homosexual magazine Der Eigene, published by Adolf Brand.