Theodor Adolf Hillmann von Brockhusen (16 July 1882,

Marggrabowa Olecko (former since 1560, colloquially also , since 1928, lt, Alėcka) is a town in northeastern Poland, in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, located in Masuria near Ełk and Suwałki. It is situated at the mouth of the Lega river which flow ...

– 20 April 1919,

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

) was a German painter, graphic artist, and

etcher Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

. Most of his works are landscapes.

Life and work

From 1898 to 1903, he studied with

Max Schmidt Max Schmidt (23 August 1818 – 8 January 1901) was a German landscape painter. Biography Schmidt was a native of Berlin, Province of Brandenburg. He studied in the Berlin Art Academy under Carl Joseph Begas and Wilhelm Schirmer. He was la ...

Ludwig Dettmann Ludwig Julius Christian Dettmann (25 July 1865 – 19 November 1944) was a German Impressionism, Impressionist painter. Shortly before his death, he was added to the ''Gottbegnadeten list, Gottbegnadeten'' list, a roster of artists considered cruc ...

and Olof Jernberg, at the

Kunstakademie Königsberg The Kunstakademie at its original Königstraße location The Kunstakademie at its original Königstraße location The Kunstakademie Königsberg was a visual arts school in Königsberg, Germany. It focused on genre works, landscape art, and marine ...

. Under Dettman's influence, his early landscapes were all painted en plein aire. After graduating, he moved to Berlin, where he joined the

Berlin Secession The Berlin Secession was an art movement established in Germany on May 2, 1898. Formed in reaction to the Association of Berlin Artists, and the restrictions on contemporary art imposed by Kaiser Wilhelm II, 65 artists "seceded," demonstrating ag ...

in 1906. He exhibited with them, and served on their board, until 1913. During that time, he also developed a relationship with the art dealer,

Paul Cassirer Paul Cassirer (21 February 1871, in Görlitz – 7 January 1926, in Berlin) was a German art dealer and editor who played a significant role in the promotion of the work of artists of the Berlin Secession and of French Impressionists and Post-Im ...

, who was his exclusive agent until 1915, and provided most of his income. He made several study trips, to Paris, London, and the Belgian seaside resort of

Knokke-Heist Knokke-Heist (; french: Knocke-Heist) is a municipality in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Heist-aan-Zee, Knokke, Duinbergen, Ramskapelle and Westkapelle. On January 1, 2006 Knokke-Heist had a total ...

. In 1909, he paid a lengthy visit to Nieuwpoort. Under the influence of

Max Liebermann Max Liebermann (20 July 1847 – 8 February 1935) was a German painter and printmaker, and one of the leading proponents of Impressionism in Germany and continental Europe. In addition to his activity as an artist, he also assembled an important ...

, he created numerous scenes of sand dunes and beachgoers in an

Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

ic style. He also spent the summer months at the

Schwielowsee Schwielowsee () is a lake in the state of Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated to the south and west of the city of Potsdam. The villages of Caputh, Ferch and Geltow, on the banks of the lake, form the municipality of Schwielowsee. The lake i ...

, creating landscapes that expressed the changing colors from dawn to dusk. In 1909, he married Hildegart Bothe, whom he had met in Paris. In the following years, he developed an interest in the works of

Van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inclu ...

and brightened his palette. In 1912, he won the

Villa Romana Prize The Villa Romana Prize, german: Villa-Romana-Preis, italic=no, is an art prize awarded by the Deutscher Künstlerbund. It was established in 1905 and is the oldest German art award. The prize consists of a one-year artistic residence in the ...

, which enabled him to spend six months in Florence in 1913. While there, he created landscapes with religious themes. After returning to Berlin, he became one of the founding members of the

Free Secession The Free Secession (german: Freie Secession) was an association of modern artists in Berlin organizing joint exhibitions 1914–1923. The Free Secession was formed after 42 members in late 1913 left the Berlin Secession, which thereby lost a majo ...

, serving as chairman of the board from 1918 to 1919. During the war, he was also a member of the "Klein-Kurener Kreis" at the (artists' colony), in what is now Lithuania. In addition to Brockhusen, the group included Waldemar Rösler, , Alfred Partikel, and Franz Domscheit. He died at his home in the

Charlottenburg Charlottenburg () is a Boroughs and localities of Berlin, locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Established as a German town law, town in 1705 and named after Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, Queen consort of Kingdom ...

district of Berlin, aged only thirty-six, and was interred at the . His tomb features a statue by the sculptor,

Fritz Klimsch Fritz Klimsch (10 February 1870 – 30 March 1960) was a German sculptor, and the younger brother of the painter Paul Klimsch. He was one of the famous artists in the era of Weimar republic. Early life Klimsch was born on 10 February 1870 in ...

. His works may be seen at the , the

Sprengel Museum Sprengel Museum is a museum of modern art in Hanover, Lower Saxony, holding one of the most significant collections of modern art in Germany. It is located in a building situated adjacent to the Masch Lake (german: Maschsee) approximately south ...

Hannover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German States of Germany, state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germa ...

, the

Kunsthalle Kiel The Kunsthalle zu Kiel is an art museum in the German city of Kiel. With 2,000 m2 of display space, it is the largest museum in the city. It is north of the city centre on Düsternbrooker Weg. It has a lecture hall, a small cafe and a sculptur ...

, and the in

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...

Sources

* * Max Osborn, "Brockhusen, Theo von", In: ''Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart'', Vol. 5: Brewer–Carlingen, E. A. Seemann, Leipzig 1911
Online
* Hans F. Schweers: ''Gemälde in deutschen Museen : Katalog d. ausgestellten und depotgelagerten Werke.'' Vol.1, Saur, 1994, * Irmgard Wirth: ''Berlin und die Mark Brandenburg – Landschaften.'' Christians, Hamburg 1982, * Gerhard Leistner: ''Theo von Brockhusen: (1882–1919); ein Maler zwischen Impressionismus und Expressionismus'', exhibition catalog, Stiftung Ostdeutsche Galerie, Regensburg 1999,

External links

More works by Brockhusen
@ ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Brockhusen, Theo von 1882 births 1919 deaths 20th-century German painters 20th-century German male artists German landscape painters German Impressionist painters Kunstakademie Königsberg People from Olecko