August Brömse. Der Künstler und seine Bilder

Abstract

The work is based on the estate of August Brömse in the Kunstforum Ostdeutsche Galerie Regensburg, which contains over 1050 letters from the period between 1902 and 1910, and a large collection of sketches and pictures. The structure of the work is determined by this material. The first part is focused on the period up to 1910. On the basis of his correspondence it investigates the artist's life after his studies in Berlin up until his establishment as Professor of Graphics at the Academy of Arts in Prague. The text not only provides a biographical study, but also gives an insight into the cultural life of "Czech Germans" in the specific context of the struggles between Czechs and Germans in Bohemia. Of special interest is the "fight" for the two posts for German professors at the Academy, which lasted four years and was very important for Brömse. The second part is devoted to Brömse's paintings from the period after 1910, which have not yet been treated adequately in research on the artist. It ties in with the first part, which shows the starting points of Brömse's painting and also comments on important pictures in the context of the artist's work. The second part offers an analysis of selected significant paintings. After 1910 Brömse concentrates on religious themes in his work. Two thematic issues have...