Theodor Hagen (artist)

Theodor Joseph Hagen ( born May 24, 1842 in Dusseldorf, † February 12, 1919 in Weimar ) was a German painter and art teacher.

Life

Hagen was born into an old established Rhenish merchant family. From 1863 to 1868 he studied with Oswald Achenbach at the State Art Academy Dusseldorf. In 1871 he was called to Weimar to the Grand Ducal Saxon School of Arts to take over there as a successor of Max Schmidt class of landscape painting. In 1874, Hagen received a permanent contract as the first teacher of the Weimar Art School. From 1876 to 1881 he was head of the art school, but gave it administrative activities on again, to devote himself entirely to painting and art theory can. His most important pupil was Christian Rohlfs. His master pupil Franz Bunke, Rudolf Höckner were known, another student is Joseph Rummelspacher.

Hagen is one of the founders of German Impressionism and as stylistically influential representatives of the Weimar School. After he had turned to different styles in his early days, he discovered the French Realism and the French plein air painting of the Barbizon School. Hagen often took trips to the great outdoors and painted landscape scenes of sober mood. Through his friendship with Alfred Lichtwark, from 1886 first director of the Hamburger Kunsthalle, he came to the Hanseatic city, where a number of port images originated.

The painter took part mainly in numerous group exhibitions, including at the Berlin Academy, the German Association of Artists in Weimar and the Munich Glass Palace. He was from 1893 a member of the Munich Secession, from 1902 the Berlin Secession.

Work of Theodor Hagen are now found in private and public art collections including Berlin, Hamburg, Dresden, Magdeburg, Dusseldorf, Munich, Stuttgart and Weimar.

In Weimar, the Theodor Hagen- way bears his name. The residence of the family in contemporary Triererstraße number 36 is oriented designated single monument of the city of Weimar.