Drawings and Paintings: 150 Plates

One of 19th-century Berlin’s premier artists, Menzel exhibited tremendous powers of observation and technical perfection.

To draw everything is good, to draw everything is better still, declared Adolph Menzel, one of nineteenth-century Berlin’s premier artists. In keeping with his motto, Menzel exhibited tremendous powers of observation, technical perfection, and an interest in a wide range of subjects. This volume contains 98 black-and-white images and 32 color plates of his works, many of which have rarely been seen outside of Germany. The first major naturalistic artist of his era, Menzel came of age in a country still in the grip of Goethe’s romanticism. In addition to founding Germany’s realistic school, the artist laid the groundwork for the development of Expressionism. His skillfully rendered illustrations faithfully re-create details of anatomy, costume, and composition. This volume’s drawings and paintings were selected by Dinotopia author James Gurney, who also provides an informative Introduction. Serious students of fine art as well as those with a more casual interest will rejoice in this original compilation of extraordinary images by an unjustly overlooked artist. Hailed by Degas as the greatest living master, Adolph Menzel (1815 1905) was the most prominent German artist of the late nineteenth century. In addition to more than 5,000 drawings, the prolific artist produced works in oil, watercolors, and gouache as well as etchings and lithographs.