Article
Collection Publications: Klinger to Kollwitz Labels
A primarily self-taught artist, Menzel gained exposure to the graphic arts as an apprentice in his father's lithographic workshop. Although he spent much of his early career producing prints and illustrations, he became best known for his historical paintings based on the life of Frederick the great. Following the foundation of the German Empire in 1871, Menzel became one of the most respected artists in Germany and throughout Europe.
In the last decade of his life, Menzel remained productive and completed a large number of portraits drawn with a pencil and stump. As he aged, so did the subjects he chose to depict. These drawings, which blurred the barriers between "sketches" and "posed studies," were considered by Menzel to be independent works.
In the last decade of his life, Menzel remained productive and completed a large number of portraits drawn with a pencil and stump. As he aged, so did the subjects he chose to depict. These drawings, which blurred the barriers between "sketches" and "posed studies," were considered by Menzel to be independent works.
