Background
He was born in Karlsruhe. His father was a civil engineer In 1857, when he was fifteen, his father was awarded a contract to design bridges, roads and dams in Brazil.
illustrator painter university professor
He was born in Karlsruhe. His father was a civil engineer In 1857, when he was fifteen, his father was awarded a contract to design bridges, roads and dams in Brazil.
Shortly after their return, he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts, Karlsruhe, where he studied with Johann Wilhelm Schirmer, the former Director of the Academy. After Schirmer"s death, he studied with Ludwig des Coudres.
Over the course of a four-year stay, he was able to teach himself drawing by sketching the tropical landscape. He was unsatisfied with the Academy, however, and took private lessons the studio of Hans Canon. This was followed, in 1866 and 1867, by study trips to Switzerland and France.
In 1870, he became a teacher of portrait and history painting at the Karlsruhe Academy and was appointed a Professor in 1873.
From 1880 to 1913, he served as Director. In addition to his regular paintings, he provided decorations and curtains for the new Karlsruhe Court Theater and the Dresden Semperoper.
Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden, commissioned him to paint the History of Baden for the National Art Gallery. On a smaller scale, his etchings have been used to illustrate numerous books
He died in 1922 in Baden-Baden.
A street in Karlsruhe was named after him in 1964.