1854 - 1900

Essentials

  • Typical colors: earthy
  • Lifespan: 46 years
  • Top-ranked work: Emperor Wilhelm II
  • Nationality: Germany
  • Born: 1854, Berlin, Germany
  • Museums on this site: Alte Nationalgalerie

The Berlin Years

Max Johann Bernhard Koner began his time in the studio in Berlin. Between 1873 and 1878, he sat in the classrooms of the Prussian Academy of Arts, learning under the eyes of Eduard Daege, Anton von Werner, Eduard Holbein, and Max Michael. His early hands were more accustomed to the quiet textures of landscapes. He traveled to Italy in 1875 and later moved to Paris in 1878 to continue his studies. These years away from Berlin shaped how he saw light and form before he eventually turned his focus toward the human figure.

By 1886, his personal life and professional life became closely linked when he married Sophie Schäffer. She had been his student, and together they shared a life centered around the brush. In the later years of his career, as commissions for portraits grew numerous, she often assisted him by working on the backgrounds and the details of clothing in his paintings.

A Focus on the Face

The shift from landscape to portraiture defined his later decades. Between 1888 and 1900, he completed more than one hundred portraits. His work found a place within the high society of Berlin, earning him recognition from the imperial court and various noble houses. In 1893, he was accepted as a member of the Academy.

His brush captured many notable figures of his era, including:

In 1894, one of his portraits of the Kaiser earned him a gold medal at the Große Berliner Kunstausstellung. This period of intense work was marked by a steady stream of requests from the upper echelons of German society.

Final Days in Berlin

Koner’s involvement in the art community extended beyond his own canvas. He spent time serving on the committee that chose artists for the trading cards produced by the Stollwerck chocolate company. This role required a keen eye for what would appeal to the public through small, printed images.

He died in Berlin in 1900 at the age of forty-six. He was laid to rest at the Friedhöfe vor dem Halleschen Tor. While a monument was once planned for him by Fritz Klimsch, it was not preserved. His life ended as it had been lived, deeply rooted in the studios and social circles of his home city.

Vprašanja in odgovori

Ali lahko dela umetnika Max Koner pregledam po umetnostnim smernicam?

Raziskujte dela umetnika Max Koner po umetniškem slogu na njegovi strani Vsi umetnostni slogi.

Koliko umetnin umetnika Max Koner je na voljo za ogled?

Na strani Vsi umetniški slogi si lahko ogledate 3 umetnin del umetnika Max Koner.

Ali lahko dela umetnika Max Koner razvrstim po barvah?

Spektralni pregled umetnika Max Koner je stran, ki dela razvrščanje umetninikovih del po barvah.

Kako lahko spremljam dela umetnika Max Koner po letih?

Stran Kronologija del umetnika prikazuje dela umetnika Max Koner razvrščena po datumu, leto za leto.

Test your eye

Pri vsakem vprašanju je na voljo le eden pravilen odgovor.

Vprašanje 1:
In which city was the German portraitist Max Koner born?
Vprašanje 2:
Which famous German ruler did Max Koner paint approximately thirty portraits of?
Vprašanje 3:
What type of painting was Max Koner originally devoted to before switching to portraits?
Vprašanje 4:
Who was Max Koner's wife and former student?
Vprašanje 5:
In which year did Max Koner become a member of the Academy?