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Born in 1849 near Landsberg am Lech as Hubert Herkomer, the German-British painter, sculptor, writer and filmmaker was the only child of the master carpenter Lorenz Herkomer. According to the will of his father, he was to become a visual artist. He spent the first years of his life with his parents in America, later in England, where a music student of his mother taught him to read and write. Until the age of eighteen, however, he was taught almost exclusively by his father for financial reasons. During this time he attended art school for a time, but only with reluctance. It was not what he had imagined, for he only had to paint watercolours.
A little later he got the opportunity to travel with his father to Munich and was accepted into the art academy there. Father and son also attended a nude class. However, they had to break off their stay after half a year for financial reasons. Herkomer now began studying at the South Kensington Art School in London. There he also organized a painting class, which exhibited some of his works. His great role model was now Frederick Walker, whose influence can be seen in the paintings of that time. There he also met the illustrator Luke Fildes.
Contrary to the opinion of his parents, Herkomer finally decided to settle in London in 1868, having already sold a number of drawings. He was able to stay first with friends, later in Chelsea, where he rented an apartment with a studio. At first, however, things did not go quite as he liked. After he had overcome a long financial lean period, he met William Luson Thomas from the weekly newspaper "The Graphic", who accepted his work enthusiastically. From now on things went uphill. Herkomer earned his money mainly with illustrations and also met the painter Mansel Lewis, who bought his first oil painting and with whom he had a long friendship. During this time Hubert von Herkomer married his first wife Anna Weise, with whom he had two sons. In 1884 and 1888 he married again in each case. Spurred on by his success, he opened a painting school in Hertfordshire, his residence at the time. However, his both authoritarian and unconventional style of teaching was not well received everywhere.
During one of his frequent summer stays in Bavaria, he had a 30-meter-high tower built in Landsberg am Lech in memory of his deceased mother, which today belongs to the Herkomer Museum. On 31.3.1914 this multi-talented artist died unexpectedly. He was also an enthusiastic motorist and technician and initiated the first car rally in Germany.
Born in 1849 near Landsberg am Lech as Hubert Herkomer, the German-British painter, sculptor, writer and filmmaker was the only child of the master carpenter Lorenz Herkomer. According to the will of his father, he was to become a visual artist. He spent the first years of his life with his parents in America, later in England, where a music student of his mother taught him to read and write. Until the age of eighteen, however, he was taught almost exclusively by his father for financial reasons. During this time he attended art school for a time, but only with reluctance. It was not what he had imagined, for he only had to paint watercolours.
A little later he got the opportunity to travel with his father to Munich and was accepted into the art academy there. Father and son also attended a nude class. However, they had to break off their stay after half a year for financial reasons. Herkomer now began studying at the South Kensington Art School in London. There he also organized a painting class, which exhibited some of his works. His great role model was now Frederick Walker, whose influence can be seen in the paintings of that time. There he also met the illustrator Luke Fildes.
Contrary to the opinion of his parents, Herkomer finally decided to settle in London in 1868, having already sold a number of drawings. He was able to stay first with friends, later in Chelsea, where he rented an apartment with a studio. At first, however, things did not go quite as he liked. After he had overcome a long financial lean period, he met William Luson Thomas from the weekly newspaper "The Graphic", who accepted his work enthusiastically. From now on things went uphill. Herkomer earned his money mainly with illustrations and also met the painter Mansel Lewis, who bought his first oil painting and with whom he had a long friendship. During this time Hubert von Herkomer married his first wife Anna Weise, with whom he had two sons. In 1884 and 1888 he married again in each case. Spurred on by his success, he opened a painting school in Hertfordshire, his residence at the time. However, his both authoritarian and unconventional style of teaching was not well received everywhere.
During one of his frequent summer stays in Bavaria, he had a 30-meter-high tower built in Landsberg am Lech in memory of his deceased mother, which today belongs to the Herkomer Museum. On 31.3.1914 this multi-talented artist died unexpectedly. He was also an enthusiastic motorist and technician and initiated the first car rally in Germany.