Paul Hoecker (11 August 1854, Oberlangenau – 13 January 1910,

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

) was a German painter of the Munich School and founding member of the

Munich Secession The Munich Secession (German language, German Münchener Secession) was an association of visual artists who broke away from the mainstream Munich Artists' Association in 1892, to promote and defend their art in the face of what they considered ...

Biography

His passion for art developed gradually, beginning at the Gymnasium in Neustadt, where he was known for his humorous drawings and caricatures of his instructors. In 1874, he became a student at the

Academy of Fine Arts Munich The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavaria, Germany. In the second half of the 19th centur ...

, which he attended until the spring of 1879. His most influential instructor was

Wilhelm von Diez Albrecht Christoph Wilhelm von Diez (17 January 1839 – 25 February 1907) was a German painter and illustrator of the Munich School. Life He was born in Bayreuth. He attended a trade school in Munich, followed by the Polytechnic School (precur ...

, who led him away from

genre painting Genre painting (or petit genre) is the painting of genre art, which depicts aspects of everyday life by portraying ordinary people engaged in common activities. One common definition of a genre scene is that it shows figures to whom no identity ca ...

to a more impressionistic style Paul Hoecker-Nino-1904-Jugend

In 1882, he took a long journey, which included visits to Paris, the Netherlands,

Holstein Holstein (; ; ; ; ) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider (river), Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost States of Germany, state of Germany. Holstein once existed as the German County of Holstein (; 8 ...

, the German seaports and then back to Munich, where he became friends with

Fritz von Uhde Fritz von Uhde (born Friedrich Hermann Carl Uhde; 22 May 1848 – 25 February 1911) was a German Painting, painter of Genre art, genre and Religious Painting, religious subjects. His style lay in-between realism (art), Realism and Impressionism, ...

, Bruno Piglhein and

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 ...

. The next year, he had a display at the Munich International Art Exhibition,Fritz von Ostini: ''Paul Hoecker und seine Schule''. Velhagen & Klasings Monatshefte, Heft 6, Februar 1913. then travelled again to Paris and the Netherlands. From 1884 to 1888, he lived in Berlin, but returned to Munich and began painting in naturalistic colors with strong lighting effects.

The Munich Academy

In 1891, at the young age of 36, he was appointed to the Munich Academy, where he replaced

Friedrich August von Kaulbach Friedrich August von Kaulbach (2 June 1850 in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria – 26 July 1920 in Ohlstadt, Germany) was a German portraitist and historical painter. Along with Franz von Lenbach and Franz von Stuck, he was known as one of the "Mal ...

, who had resigned suddenly. He was the first teacher at the academy to take his students on field trips, which often lasted two weeks. He was also one of the first "modern" teachers there, exposing his students to

impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

and the latest developments from the Barbizon School. His studio was often referred to as the "Geniekasten" (Genius Box). Due to the pervasive influence of

Franz von Lenbach Franz Seraph Lenbach, after 1882, Ritter von Lenbach (13 December 1836 – 6 May 1904), was a German painter known primarily for his portraits of prominent personalities from the nobility, the arts, and industry. Because of his standing in society ...

, very little exhibition space was available for any art that was considered modern. In 1892, shortly after being appointed a professor, this problem motivated Hoecker to become one of the founding members of the Munich Secession, acting as its secretary. The Secession ultimately inspired similar movements in Berlin and other cities.

Scandal

In 1897, a scandal broke out when it was rumored that Hoecker had used a male prostitute as a model for a painting of the

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

. Eventually, the scandal became more personal in nature, and he chose to resign from the academy.

Magnus Hirschfeld Magnus Hirschfeld (14 May 1868 – 14 May 1935) was a German physician, Sexology, sexologist and LGBTQ advocate, whose German citizenship was later revoked by the Nazi government.David A. Gerstner, ''Routledge International Encyclopedia of Queer ...

: ''Von Einst bis Jetzt'', Berlin 1986. . He then travelled to

Capri Capri ( , ; ) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. A popular resort destination since the time of the Roman Republic, its natural beauty ...

, where he stayed at the

Villa Lysis Villa Lysis (initially, La Gloriette; today, Villa Fersen) is a villa on Capri built by industrialist and poet Jacques d'Adelswärd-Fersen in 1905. "Dedicated to the youth of love" (''dédiée à la jeunesse d'amour''), it was Fersen's self-chose ...

, home of industrialist and poet

Jacques d'Adelswärd-Fersen Baron Jacques d'Adelswärd-Fersen (20 February 1880 – 5 November 1923) was a French novelist and poet. His life forms the basis of a fictionalised 1959 novel by Roger Peyrefitte entitled ''The Exile of Capri'' (''L'exilé de Capri''). In 1903, ...

, who had left Paris in the wake of his own scandal. While there, Hoecker painted several portraits of Fersen's lover,

Nino Cesarini Antonio Cesarini (30 September 1889 – 24 October 1943), better known by the diminutive name Nino, was a model for several artists, such as the photographer Wilhelm von Plüschow, painters Paul Hoecker and Umberto Brunelleschi and sculptor Fra ...

, a professional model. Though the '' Jugend'' magazine published one of his Nino portraits in 1904 – a fully clothed version. By 1901 he returned to Oberlangenau. In 1910, he died of what was diagnosed as " Roman Malaria".

Posthumous recognition

Despite his important role for the Munich art scene of the late 19th century, Paul Hoecker is hardly known today. This is probably due to the fact that he left the professorship in connection with his homosexuality. In October 2019 a research group was formed at the Forum Queeres Archiv München to investigate the life and work of the painter. Part of the family owned estate of Paul Hoecker has found its way into the archive of the Forum Queeres Archiv München and was digitalized. Paul Hoecker-Pierrot

References

External links