Ernst Max Pietschmann (August 6, 1865, in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

Kingdom of Saxony The Kingdom of Saxony () was a German monarchy in Central Europe between 1806 and 1918, the successor of the Electorate of Saxony. It joined the Confederation of the Rhine after the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, later joining the German ...

– April 16, 1952, in Niederpoyritz, Dresden) was a German

Symbolist Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: *Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea Arts *Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea ** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...

painter.

Life

Max Pietschmann studied at the

Dresden Academy of Fine Arts The Dresden Academy of Fine Arts (German language, German ''Hochschule für Bildende Künste Dresden''), often abbreviated HfBK Dresden or simply HfBK, is a vocational university of visual arts located in Dresden, Germany. The present institutio ...

from 1883 to 1889. His teachers included Leon Pohle and

Ferdinand Pauwels Wilhelm Ferdinand Pauwels ( �pʌu̯əls 13 April 1830, Ekeren – 26 March 1904, Dresden) was a Belgian history painter who lived and worked in Germany. Life From 1842 to 1850, he studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp), under ...

. Pietschmann belonged to the painters' colony in Goppeln near

Bannewitz Bannewitz is a municipality in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in Saxony, Germany. It is situated south of Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, ...

, which specialized in

plein air ''En plein air'' (; French for 'outdoors'), or plein-air painting, is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein air' painting is c ...

painting. He spent two years in Italy with

Hans Unger Hans Unger (August 26, 1872 – August 13, 1936) was a German painter who was, during his lifetime, a highly respected Art Nouveau artist. His popularity did not survive the change in the cultural climate in Germany after World War I, howev ...

, after which he continued his studies at the

Académie Julian The () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907). The school was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number and qual ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where he was mainly engaged in nude drawing. His 3.8-meter × 2.6-meter sea painting ''Polyphemus' Fish Catch'' was exhibited in Dresden in 1892, where Pietschmann was praised as a "bright painter of the latest Parisian school," as well as at the

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...

in Chicago in 1893. He received an award at the 1900 World's Fair in Paris. He then settled back in Dresden, owning an apartment and studio in the Artists' House in

Loschwitz Loschwitz is a borough (''Geography and urban development of Dresden#City structuring, Stadtbezirk'') of Dresden, Germany, incorporated in 1921. It consists of ten quarters (''Stadtteile''): Loschwitz is a villa quarter located at the slopes nor ...

from 1898 to 1904, where he joined the Visual Artists' Association of Dresden, the first Dresden

Secession Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a Polity, political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal i ...

movement at the turn of the century. Pietschmann had a studio house built in the "Italian style" in Niederpoyritz and lived there from 1904 to 1952. In 1909 he was appointed professor at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts. Pietschmann painted in the tradition of artists such as

Max Klinger Max Klinger (18 February 1857 – 5 July 1920) was a German artist who produced significant work in painting, sculpture, prints and graphics, as well as writing a treatise articulating his ideas on art and the role of graphic arts and printmakin ...

and

Arnold Böcklin Arnold Böcklin (16 October 182716 January 1901) was a Swiss Symbolism (arts), Symbolist Painting, painter. His five versions of the ''Isle of the Dead (painting), Isle of the Dead'' inspired works by several late-Romantic composers. Biography ...

and had a similar repertoire, influenced neither by the

Expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

art movement that emerged around the time of World War I nor by the

New Objectivity The New Objectivity (in ) was a movement in German art that arose during the 1920s as a reaction against German Expressionism, expressionism. The term was coined by Gustav Friedrich Hartlaub, the director of the ''Kunsthalle Mannheim, Kunsthalle' ...

movement of the 1920s. With fellow Symbolists

Oskar Zwintscher Oskar Zwintscher (2 May 1870, in Leipzig – 12 February 1916, in Dresden) was a German painter. He is often associated with the Jugendstil movement. Life From 1887 to 1890 he studied at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig and, ...

, Richard Müller, Georg Jahn, Hans Unger, and Sascha Schneider, Pietschmann formed a "‘phalanx of the strong’ that signified Dresden's art at the turn of the century." Under the pseudonym "Fr. (Francois) Laubnitz" he painted pictures that were very popular as mural prints in the first half of the 20th century. Pietschmann died in 1952 in Niederpoyritz and was buried in the Hosterwitz Cemetery in Dresden. Large parts of Pietschmann's artistic and written estate are in the archives of the

Dresden State Art Collections Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (, ''Dresden State Art Collections'') is a cultural institution in Dresden, Germany, owned by the State of Saxony. It is one of the most renowned and oldest museum institutions in the world, originating from the ...

Works (selected)

* ''Polyphemus' Fish Catch'' (panel painting, oil; 1892; awarded a medal at the 1893 Columbian World Exposition in Chicago) * ''Prince Bismarck in Dresden on June 18, 1892'' (panel painting, oil; 1895; in the holdings of the Dresden City Museum) * ''Portrait of Adolf Rothermundt'' (panel painting, oil; 1897; in the holdings of the Dresden Gemäldegalerie Neue Meister) * ''Bathers in the Forest Pond in the Evening'' (panel painting, oil; 1898; in the holdings of the Dresden Gemäldegalerie Neue Meister)

Exhibitions (selected)

*1893: World's Columbian Exposition, shown: ''Polyphemus' Fish Catch'' *1896: Berlin International Art Exhibition, shown: ''Adam and Eve''. ''Moonrise''. Portrait study. *1896: "Hand Drawings by German Artists", September 20 - October 31, 1896, Arnold Gallery, Dresden. *1899: German Art Exhibition Dresden *1900: 32nd Great Painting Exhibition of the Art Association in Bremen,

Kunsthalle Bremen The Kunsthalle Bremen is an art museum in Bremen, Germany. It is located close to the Bremen Old Town on the "Culture Mile" (). The Kunsthalle was built in 1849, enlarged in 1902 by architect Eduard Gildemeister, and expanded several more times, ...

*1901: Great Berlin Art Exhibition *1903: 71st exhibition of the Hanover Art Association *1903: Great Berlin Art Exhibition *1903: Saxon Art Exhibition Dresden *1904: Great Art Exhibition Dresden, shown: ''The Bath''. ''Adam and Eve''. *1906: Great Berlin Art Exhibition *1908: Great Art Exhibition Dresden *1908: Munich Annual Exhibition, shown: ''Joseph and Mary''. ''Spring Idyll''. ''Mountain Water''. *1910: Great Berlin Art Exhibition *1910: Exhibition of the Green-White Group at the Emil Richter Art Salon in Dresden, shown: ''Mountain Water''. ''At the Water''. ''From My Window''. *1911: Hamburg Art Association, collective exhibition of the Dresden branch of the German Art Association *1912: "Places of Work", March 15 - mid-April 1912, Arnold Gallery, Dresden *1913: Eleventh International Art Exhibition in the Royal Glass Palace, Munich, showing: ''Seated Female Nude from Behind''. ''Bathers''. ''Model at Rest''. *1914: First International Graphic Art Exhibition, Leipzig *1914:

Biennale di Venezia The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Architecture Biennale (), which are held in alternating ye ...

*1914: Great Berlin Art Exhibition *1916: Exhibition of the Artists' Guild Berlin, August 3 - September 30, 1916, Nassau Art Association,

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden (; ) is the capital of the German state of Hesse, and the second-largest Hessian city after Frankfurt am Main. With around 283,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 24th-largest city. Wiesbaden form ...

*1917:

Franz Marc Franz Moritz Wilhelm Marc (8 February 1880 – 4 March 1916) was a German painter and printmaking, printmaker, one of the key figures of German Expressionism. He was a founding member of ''Der Blaue Reiter'' (The Blue Rider), a journal whose ...

Memorial Exhibition, February 1 - April 1, 1917, Nassau Art Association, Wiesbaden *1925: "Inexpensive Graphics of the Graphic Cabinet", Arnold Gallery, Dresden *1933: "Portrait Exhibition of Dresden Artists, Graphic Cabinet", June 22 - July 25, 1933,

Dresden Castle Dresden Castle or Royal Palace ( or ) is one of the oldest buildings in Dresden, Germany. For almost 400 years, it was the residence of the electors (1547–1806) and List of rulers of Saxony, kings (1806–1918) of Kingdom of Saxony, Saxony from ...

*1934: Saxon Art Exhibition Dresden *1996:

Vineyard Church The Association of Vineyard Churches, also known as the Vineyard Movement, is an international neocharismatic evangelical Christian association of churches.Despite the fact that some might see denominational labels as divisive, the founder of the ...

, Dresden-

Pillnitz Pillnitz is a quarter in the east of Dresden, Germany. It can be reached by bus, ship, walking along the river or by bicycle. Pillnitz is most famous for its Baroque palace and park, the Pillnitz Castle. Pillnitz Palace consists of the Rivers ...

*1999/2000: Dresden Gemäldegalerie Neue Meister"Galerie Neue Meister Ausstellung: Max Pietschmann (1865–1952)", i
''Kunst-und-Kultur.de''

Bibliography

* Ruth Negendanck. ''Die Galerie Ernst Arnold (1893–1951). Kunsthandel und Zeitgeschichte''. Weimar: Verlag und Datenbank für Geisteswissenschaften, 1998. . * "Pietschmann, Max (Ernst M.)". In: Hans Vollmer (ed.), ''Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart. Begründet von Ulrich Thieme und Felix Becker'', vol. 27: ''Piermaria–Ramsdell''. Leipzig: E. A. Seemann, 1933, p. 30.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pietschmann, Max 1865 births 1952 deaths Artists from Dresden Artists from the Kingdom of Saxony 19th-century German painters 19th-century German male artists German male painters German Symbolist painters Art Nouveau painters 20th-century German painters 20th-century German male artists Académie Julian alumni