The Life and Work of Robert Hauk
Robert Hauk was a German self-taught painter who was also a forester by profession. Born in 1837 in Lasówka near Duszniki-Zdrój, he lived through the Prussian-Austrian War of 1866 and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871. His artistic output focused primarily on religious and portrait painting.
One of his most significant works is the 1894 painting Battle of Czerwona Góra, which was commissioned by Father Ernst Mandela of Jaszkowa Dolna and is currently held in the collections of the Museum of the Kłodzko Land. To prepare for this piece, Hauk conducted seven years of specialized archival research in Prague regarding the weaponry of the Hussites and Silesian knights. His work has also reached far beyond Europe, with a painting located in the Trappist mission church in Marianhill near Durban, South Africa.
