A Life in Art and Color
Bernhard Kretzschmar was a German painter, graphic artist, photographer, and university teacher. Born in Döbeln, Germany, his artistic journey began with an apprenticeship as a decorative painter in 1904. He pursued formal studies at the Dresden School of Applied Arts and later at the Dresden Academy, where he was a student of Robert Sterl, Richard Müller, and Oskar Zwintscher. His early work included travels through Southern Germany, Switzerland, Spain, and Italy.
His career was marked by significant shifts in style and historical upheaval. After destroying his previous artistic production in 1920, he began creating expressionist and expressive-realist graphics. During the 1920s, his work moved toward New Objectivity. His art was later classified as "degenerate art" by the National Socialists, resulting in the seizure and destruction of many of his prints and watercolors. Following the war, he served as a professor at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts, where he taught students such as A. R. Penck.
Works and Recognition
Kretzschmar's diverse body of work includes oil paintings, graphics, and coloristic self-portraits. His notable subjects ranged from landscapes and city scenes, such as the Marienstraße in Dresden, to portraits and depictions of daily life. His artistic output is held in various institutions, including the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin and the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.
Throughout his life, he received several honors for his contributions to art, including:
