Peter Becker (painter)

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Peter Becker, probably around 1890

Peter Becker (born November 10, 1828 in Frankfurt am Main , † August 18, 1904 in Soest ) was a German landscape and genre painter , etcher and lithographer .

life and work

Peter Becker came from a poor family home and grew up in Frankfurt's old town . At his father's request, he began a commercial apprenticeship in Frankfurt, which he broke off to become a painter . The Städelsche Kunstinstitut initially rejected him. He could only attend elementary classes there.

Landscape with Village and Castle (1851)
The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation (1864)

In 1844 the Städel took him on as a pupil, where he studied with Jakob Becker and Friedrich Maximilian Hessemer until 1851 . Shortly before completing his apprenticeship, Hessemer certified:

“Perseverance, perseverance and indefatigability are what distinguish him from all others, but he also possesses imagination and a free power of observation. He wants to become a landscape painter and gives rise to great and beautiful hopes. "

In 1860 he converted to the Catholic Church . He lived consecutively in Frankfurt, Eppstein , Altweilnau and Oberursel . On long hikes through Germany, he created numerous detailed landscapes, especially in the vedute style . His Rhine album was created in 1855, and a Saar album was also created in 1861 at the suggestion of the Prussian king .

In the early years he also painted in oil , later he mainly created watercolors and drawings as well as lithographs and etchings . One of his main works are the pictures from old Frankfurt , published in 1874 , a collection of 26 lithographs. His numerous general views of Frankfurt earned him the nickname of a New Merian . Along with those of Carl Theodor Reiffenstein, his Frankfurt street and genre scenes are among the most important Frankfurt pictorial documents before photography was introduced .

Becker was friends with Eduard Steinle , who painted a portrait of his friend. Together they created the watercolor The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation (1864) and designed glass windows for the reconstruction of the Frankfurt Cathedral (1873). An award-winning design by Becker for painting the facade of the Roman remained unworked.

Becker died on one of his hikes in Soest at the age of 75. He was buried in the main cemetery in Frankfurt . His grave (Gewann F,! 889) is adorned with a portrait medallion by the sculptor Ernst Rittweger .

literature

Web links

Commons : Peter Becker  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ knerger.de: The grave of Peter Becker
personal data
SURNAME Becker, Peter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German landscape and genre painter, etcher and lithographer
DATE OF BIRTH November 10, 1828
PLACE OF BIRTH Frankfurt am Main
DATE OF DEATH August 18, 1904
Place of death Soest