Fritz von Uhde
His style lay in-between Realism and Impressionism, he was once known as "Germany's outstanding impressionist" and he became one of the first painters to introduce plein-air painting in his country.
[6] Unsuccessful in his attempts to gain admittance to the studios of Piloty, Lindenschmit, or Diez,[4] in 1879 he traveled to Paris where his studies of the Dutch painters continued under Mihály Munkácsy's supervision.
[2] In 1882 a journey to the Netherlands brought about a change in his style, as he abandoned the dark chiaroscuro he had learned in Munich in favor of a colorism informed by the works of the French Impressionists.
He was, with Max Slevogt, Ludwig Dill and Lovis Corinth, one of the founding members of the Verein Bildender Künstler (Society of Fine Artists), better known as the Munich Secession.
His early work consisted of landscapes and battle pieces, but Uhde's inclination was later almost solely directed towards genre art and religious subjects.
"[7] Revivalist of the practice of treating Biblical episodes realistically by transferring them to modern days, Uhde's work was also appreciated by others who praised his symbolic message and sense of evangelical morality.
[17] In his work, Uhde often depicted the ordinary lives of families of peasants, fishermen, and seamstresses; children and youngsters, as well as young and old women.
[22] According to the art historian Bettina Brand, Uhde's work was controversial partly because "setting episodes from the Gospels in the context of contemporary poverty ... suggested that the Christian demand of equality for all men had not been met politically or socially.
Similar in conception are Suffer Little Children to come unto Me (1884; Leipzig Museum),[2] The Last Supper, The Journey to Bethlehem (Munich Pinakothek), and The Miraculous Draught of Fishes.
Other works of his in public collections are: Christ Among the Peasants (the Musée d'Orsay, Paris);[27] Christ at Emmaus & Road to Emmaus (the Staedel Institute, Frankfort); The Farewell of Tobias (the Liechtenstein Gallery, Vienna),[8] Noli me tangere (1894; New Pinakothek, Munich), The Wise Men from the East (1896; Magdeburg Museum), and Woman, Why Weepest Thou?
[4] After his wife's death in 1886, Uhde was very involved in the lives of his three daughters, whom he painted in numerous works such as Nursery (1889; Kunsthalle, Hamburg)[2] and In the Bower (1896; Kunstmuseum, Düsseldorf).
