Franz Skarbina, “Memory of Capri”, 1883, Watercolor and Gouache on Paper, 35 x 25 cm, Private Collection
Born in Berlin in 1849, Franz Skarbina studied at the Prussian Academy of Arts, graduating two years later to become the tutor to the daughters of Count Fredrich von Perponcher-Sedinitzky, during which time he traveled with the family to Austria, Italy and throughout Germany. In 1877, Skarbine mad a year-long study trip to France and the Netherlands where he discovered the Impressionist painters.
Skarbine began teaching at the Prussian Academy in 1878 and later in 1881 taught anatomical drawing at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Berlin. From 1882 to 1886, he mad frequent trips to France, Belgium and the Netherlands, exhibiting his art at the Paris Salon during this very productive period of his work. Appointed a Professor at the Prussian Academy in 1888, he resigned in 1893 due to disagreements with the Anton von Werner, the Academy’s Director, over his participation in the “Group of Eleven”, an association of artists promoting, outside the Academy’s influence, what was to be German Modernism. This group became the Berlin Secession, of which Skarbine was a co-founder.
Franz Skarbine became in 1895 a supervisory board member for the arts and literary magazine “Pan”, which played an important role in the development of the Art Nouveau movement in Germany. Skarbine died at his home in Berlin in May of 1910. During World War II, all the items in his estate, including many of his art works, were destroyed.
In this watercolor by Franz Skarbina, the artists depicted are the Italian Florence-born landscape and portrait painter Alessandro Altamura and his Vienna-born colleague landscape painter Othmar Brioschi.
Image reblogged with many thanks to: https://thouartadeadthing.tumblr.com