Adolph Menzel

Adolph Menzel (1815-1905) was a German painter, illustrator, and engraver. He is best known for his realistic depictions of everyday life in 19th-century Berlin. Menzel was born in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) and began his artistic training as a student of his father, a lithographer. He later studied under the painter Carl Wilhelm Kolbe and the engraver Ludwig Buchhorn. In the 1840s, Menzel began to gain recognition for his illustrations for the satirical magazine "Fliegende Blätter." He also created numerous paintings and drawings of historic events, including the coronation of Wilhelm I and the Franco-Prussian War. Menzel's work was influential in the development of the realist movement in German art. He was also known for his technical virtuosity, particularly in his use of watercolors and his skill as an engraver.