This proponent of Modernism pursued an artistic double life – under the name of Curt Bruckner – by providing highly popular canvases in the style of 19th century Realism.
As Echtermeyer, the artist often created vast, dark, dreamlike, unsettling scenes, while as Bruckner, he produced intimate, warm, quotidian, idyllic images.
Echtermeyer categorically rejected preparatory studies, drawing directly onto the canvas or wood before applying oil or pastel, and preferred to paint by night.
Many oil paintings of his Paris period are relatively small and executed directly on wood, as he lived in various, narrow, lodgings and sometimes used parts of the furniture, for instance the bottom of drawers.
After the war, his dexterity earned him a regular and comfortable income with Berlin art dealer Werner Karst, who established a production line of popular and affordable genre scenes for German homes.