Paul Thumann Enter a
feeling, not
a gallery.
Choose a mood and the room itself answers — the light cools or warms, the air changes pace, and only the works that carry that feeling step forward from the dark. Everything else recedes into shadow.
Paul Thumann
Early Life and Artistic Training Born on 5 October 1834 in Groß Schacksdorf-Simmersdorf, Paul Thumann was raised in the household of a teacher. His early inclinations did not immediately point toward the canvas. He initially sought a path in the technical sciences, enrolling at the engineering school in Glogau to pursue a career in that field. This practical direction, however, proved to be a temporary detour in a life that would eventu
ally be defined by the visual arts. The pull toward art eventually superseded his scientific interests. Between 1854 and 1856, Thumann sought formal instruction at the Prussian Academy of Arts in Berlin. This period of study provided the foundational discipline required for his future work as a painter and illustrator. He moved from the structured world of engineering toward the more fluid demands of graphic art and portraiture, setti…