A Life of Painting and Craftsmanship
Willy von Beckerath was a German painter and art professor associated with the Düsseldorfer Malerschule. His artistic practice encompassed portraits, landscapes, and murals. Beyond his work on canvas, he played an instrumental role in the formation of the Deutsche Werkstätten Hellerau starting in 1902, where he designed furniture and various furnishings for churches, including pews, confessionals, baptismal fonts, and holy water basins.
His academic journey began at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf between 1885 and 1895. Following his studies, he moved to Munich. In 1896, he received a small gold medal at the Große Berliner Kunstausstellung. From 1907 to 1931, he served as a professor of Figürliche Wandmalerei at the Staatliche Kunstgewerbeschule in Hamburg.
Notable Works and Achievements
Von Beckerath is recognized for several significant large-scale works. His mural Die ewige Welle (The Eternal Wave), an eight-part work decorating the Aula assembly hall, depicts the rise and fall of a human cultural era. He also provided murals for decorative wall panels in the sculpture hall at the Kunsthalle Bremen, which features naked persons in a landscape picking fruits, making music, playing, or bathing.
His religious paintings include:
- Die Predigt des Johannes (1907)
- Kreuzigung (1910)
Additionally, he produced portraits of the composer Johannes Brahms, including a charcoal drawing and a tempura painting of Brahms at the piano.
