Ludwig Knaus

pseudonym: -

birth data

date of birth: 1829

place of birth: Wiesbaden

death data

date of death: 1910

death: Berlin

biography

Ludwig Knaus was born in 1829 in Wiesbaden. Because of his talent in drawing he got accepted in 1844 to study under the landscape and court painter Otto Reinhold Jacobi. In 1846 Knaus studied for two years at the Academy in Düsseldorf, initially under Carl Ferdinand Sohn, and later he attended the master class of Wilhelm von Schadow among others with Anselm Feuerbach. In 1849, Knaus traveled with his friend Adolf Schreyer to Hesse, where he had the chance to study the rural life and nature there. From this point onwards the rural population and its surrounding landscape became a central theme of his artistic work. Between 1852 and 1861 the painter lived in Paris, and during this time he traveled extensively to the Black Forest, England, Italy, Belgium and Holland. In 1855, four of his paintings were shown at the World Exhibition in Paris, and he was awarded a gold medal. His work was highly praised by French critiques and Empress Eugénie acquired his painting Walk in the Tuileriesgarten, which is now shown at the Picture Gallery of Wiesbaden. In 1860 the artist had a studio built in his hometown Wiesbaden. In 1867 the artist and his colleague Adolph Menzel stayed in Paris. His painting His Majesty on a Journey was awarded an honorary prize in the presence of the French Emperor. In 1874 Knaus moved to Berlin, and in the same year was appointed a member of the expert committee of the Picture Gallery. He was also commissioned to lead the master class at the Academy. In 1904 he became a member of the Institut de France and the following year honorary member of the Senate of Arts in Berlin. In 1910 Ludwig Knaus died in Berlin.