Hermann Wilhelm Benjamin Eschke (6 May 1823 - 15 January 1900) was a German painter who specialized in

marine art Marine art or maritime art is a form of figurative art (that is, painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture) that portrays or draws its main inspiration from the sea. Maritime painting is a genre that depicts ships and the sea—a genre parti ...

Biography

Eschke was born in

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

. In 1840, at the age of seventeen, he began his studies with Professor Wilhelm Herbig and, upon his recommendation, attended the Prussian Academy of Art from 1841 to 1845. After graduating, he obtained a position in the studios of the marine painter,

Wilhelm Krause Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Krause (12 July 1833 – 4 February 1910) was a German anatomist born in Hanover. He was the son of anatomist Karl Friedrich Theodor Krause (1797-1868). Krause studied at Göttingen, where he became member of Bur ...

, where he remained until 1848. Through Krause's recommendation, he obtained a similar position in the studios of

Eugène Lepoittevin Eugène Lepoittevin (31 July 1806 – 6 August 1870), also known as Poidevin, Poitevin, and Le Poittevin, was a French artist who achieved an early and lifelong success as a landscape and maritime painter. His work ranged from erotic caricatures t ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

.''Eschke, Wilhelm Benjamin Hermann''.
In: Hermann Alex. Müller: ''Biographisches Künstler-Lexikon''. Verlag des Bibliographischen Instituts, Leipzig 1882, pg.162 In 1850, he took extensive study trips through Southern France and the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...

. When he returned to Berlin, he became a freelance artist. Over the next thirty years, he continued to travel frequently; visiting the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

, Norway, Wales, the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

and

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period o ...

, among other places. All of these trips produced numerous sketches that were later turned into oil paintings, although he also did some work en

plein aire ''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 ...

. Among his most familiar works are those created together with his son, , for the "

Kaiserpanorama The Kaiserpanorama (or Kaiser-Panorama) is a form of stereoscopic entertainment medium used chiefly in the 19th and early 20th centuries, a precursor to film, invented by August Fuhrmann (1844–1925). It was patented by the inventor ca. 1890. The ...

": ''The German Fleet on Display at Zanzibar'', and ''The Seizure of New Guinea''. Eschke was later given the title "Königlicher Professor" and received a gold medal at an exhibition by the "" (Association of Berlin Artists). He was also well known as a teacher. His students included

Louis Douzette Carl Ludwig Christoph Douzette, known as Louis (25 September 1834, Tribsees - 21 February 1924, Barth) was a German landscape painter. Life and work He was descended from Huguenots that fled France in the 17th century. When he was seven, ...

Ernst Koerner Ernst Karl Eugen Koerner (3 November 1846, Zdbowo, Stibbe near Marienwerder – 30 July 1927, Berlin) was a German landscape painter. Biography His father, Ernst (1794–1856) was a cloth dealer. In 1861, while still attending the public sc ...

, Walter Moras,

Carl Saltzmann Carl Saltzmann (23 September 1847, Berlin - 14 January 1923, Potsdam) was a German marine and landscape painter. Biography He was a pupil of Hermann Eschke, then studied at Düsseldorf, and, after traveling through the Netherlands and ...

Alexander Kircher Alexander Kircher (Trieste, 26 February 1867 – 16 September 1939, Berlin) was an Austrian-German marine and landscape painter and illustrator. Many of his paintings can be seen in museums in Germany, Austria, Croatia, and Slovenia while o ...

and

Elisabeth Reuter Elisabeth Reuter (21 September 1853 in Lübeck – 7 May 1903 in Heidelberg) was a German landscape painter. Biography She was born to Gottlob Reuter, a doctor, and his wife, Elise née Trummer. Her uncle was the Lutheran church leade ...

. Altogether, he and his wife Anna had ten children, of whom two, Richard and , became painters. He died in Berlin.

Selected paintings

File:Hermann Eschke - Aufkommender Sturm.jpg, The Coming Storm File:Hermann Eschke - Schiffbruch.jpg, Shipwreck File:Hermann Eschke - Blick von Svolvaer nach Storemolla und Lillemolla.jpg, View of Svolvaer File:Hermann Eschke - Blick auf den Genfersee im Mondschein.jpg,

Lake Geneva , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial la ...

in the Moonlight File:Eschke Hermann - Im Hafen von Livorno - 1879.jpg

References

External links

ArtNet: More works by Eschke.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eschke, Hermann 1823 births 1900 deaths 19th-century German painters 19th-century German male artists German marine artists Prussian Academy of Arts alumni Painters from Berlin

Biography

Selected paintings

References

Further reading

External links