At the dawn of the twentieth century, Max Liebermann's impressionistic style of painting and printmaking was responsible for redefining Germany's modern art culture. he did this through his work.

Biography

Max Liebermann was born into a Jewish family of affluent status in the German capital of Berlin on July 20, 1847. Max's father was a successful entrepreneur, hoping his son would follow in his footsteps. At first, Max enrolled at the University of Berlin to pursue a degree in law and philosophy so that he might live up to the standards set by his family. Despite this, he continued to develop an interest in art, and from 1866 to 1868; he attended painting classes taught by Carl Steffeck. After completing those classes, he resolved to devote his life to the study of art, and in 1868 he enrolled in the Weimar Art School.

After finishing his education in 1872, Liebermann created his first piece for public display, titled "Women Plucking Geese." The picture Women Plucking Geese deviated from the idealized Romanticism that was the predominant German painting style at the time. Despite this, the painting was met with a hostile reception, and one critic referred to Liebermann as a "disciple of the ugly." His artistic sensibilities would mature even further over the following year while he kept the aesthetics of traditional German painting in mind.

During the summer of 1873, Liebermann traveled to the small village of Barbizon, located close to Paris. There, he immersed himself in the art of Camille Corot, Constant Troyon, and Charles-Francois Daubigny. During his time in France, he met Jean-Francois Millet, a co-founder of the Barbizon School and one of his most significant influences. Liebermann's interest in naturalism was ignited by Millet's country settings and landscapes, which led to the development of Liebermann's unique style and technique, which was not yet found in Germany. Beginning in 1875, Liebermann frequently traveled to the Netherlands during the summer months to portray the typical activities of the Dutch working class.

After moving back to Germany in 1878, Liebermann made his home in Munich for the next several years before relocating to Berlin in 1884. After another year, he tied the knot with Martha Marckwald, and the couple went on to have one child, Marianne Henriette Kathe. While in Berlin, he was commissioned to paint several portraits for various people.

During the decade that followed, Liebermann got actively immersed in the Impressionist movement that was taking place in Germany. After 1890, his work started showing signs of being influenced by French Impressionist painters such as Édouard Manet and Edgar Degas. Still, at the same time, he did not wish to separate himself from the traditional German art that was steeped in Romanticism.

To establish Berlin as a center for the arts, Liebermann was not afraid to question the accepted standards of the time. In 1898, he laid the groundwork for what would later become known as the Berlin Secession. This group brought together supporters of contemporary creative movements such as Impressionism and Art Nouveau. In the beginning, sixty-five artists were members of the Berlin Secession, and Liebermann was president of the group for thirteen years. To challenge the excluding policies in shows for Impressionist pieces and traditional teaching techniques, the organization took a similar stance as the separatist movements in Vienna and Munich. More specifically, the Berlin Secession was an alternative to the Prussian Art Association, which viewed Impressionism as a rebellion against established norms and values.

At the same time, Liebermann was presented with the opportunity to hold a solo show at the Royal Academy of Arts, and he afterward joined the Berlin Academy. Through his membership in this organization, he continued to immerse himself in the artistic milieu of Berlin. In addition to hundreds of drawings and prints, Liebermann produced roughly twenty-eight oil paintings annually at the turn of the twentieth century. In 1909, Liebermann purchased a property on the Wannsee, located in the gorgeous countryside outside of Berlin. This home served as the inspiration for many of his later works.

Following the conclusion of World War I in 1920, Liebermann assumed the role of president of the Berlin Academy. However, in 1933, he was compelled to step down from his position due to anti-Semitic legislation that the Nazi party enacted. In addition, his art was removed from museums and taken from the private collections of collectors.

Liebermann passed away from natural causes on the 8th of February 1935 in the comfort of his own home; his legacy would continue. Throughout his career, he was commissioned to create more than 200 different paintings and portraits. The artistic work that he accomplished, particularly in the early part of the twentieth century, resulted in a shift in his style in which he shifted his concentration to focus on the daily life of ordinary people through unsophisticated painting techniques, which promoted the Impressionist movement in Germany.

The Leo Baeck Institute contains an extensive collection of his work in its art collection. This collection includes various prints and sketches, in addition to six paintings. In addition to Liebermann's artwork, the institute has amassed a collection of his correspondences, show evaluations, and newspaper articles. Additionally, the institute maintains artist portfolios and books illustrated by Liebermann in its library.

Most paintings Max Liebermann did are about People, Garden, Landscape, Portrait, Seascape, Sketch and Study, Cityscape, and other subjects.

Most of the artist's works that can be seen by the public today are now kept in museums like Alte Nationalgalerie - Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Kunsthalle Mannheim, and others.

Famous Max Liebermann period artists include Pierre Auguste Renoir (French, 1841 -1919), John Singer Sargent (American, 1856 -1925), Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863 -1944), Claude Monet (French, 1840 -1926), Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853 -1890), Pierre Bonnard (French, 1867 -1947), Henri Lebasque (French, 1865 -1937), Édouard Vuillard (French, 1868 -1940), Mary Vaux Walcott (American, 1860 -1940), Frederick Childe Hassam (American, 1859 -1935), Alfred Sisley (French, 1839 -1899), Gustave Loiseau (French, 1865 -1935), and others.

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