Master of Light and Shadows: Max Liebermann

No artist I know captures light quite like Max Liebermann. Filtered through leaves and branches, it flows like gold onto paths and meadows, where it dances and comes to life. That’s what I love about his paintings – the atmosphere of shimmering joy they evoke.

But Liebermann was much more than a virtuoso of light. He was a key figure in the modernization of the German art scene. As president of the Berlin Secession, he paved the way for many young artists and helped establish modern art in Germany.

Early Years and Education

Max Liebermann was born in 1847 to a wealthy Jewish family in Berlin. His interest in art showed itself early on, but his family, well-respected in Berlin society, didn’t see a future for him as an artist. It was common for sons of wealthy families to pursue careers that promised social security and prestige. They encouraged him to become a lawyer or enter the business world, following in his father’s footsteps as a successful businessman.

However, Liebermann was not enthusiastic about this idea. His heart was set on art, and he increasingly felt confined by his family’s expectations. Against their initial resistance, he eventually chose art as his path in life. Around 1866, he began private lessons with Carl Steffeck in Berlin. Two years later, he started studying at the Grand Ducal Saxon Art School in Weimar, known for its focus on realistic painting.

In Weimar, he created his early masterpiece The Goose Pluckers, inspired by a drawing by his fellow student Thomas Herbst and the works of Mihály von Munkácsy. At just 25 years old, he exhibited his debut work publicly in Hamburg, but it was rejected by conservative critics for its "poor" subject matter and dark palette.

Nevertheless, the painting found a buyer in the railway tycoon Strousberg. The proceeds allowed Liebermann to move to Paris, where he lived between 1873 and 1878, engaging deeply with the French art scene. The works of Jean-François Millet and Gustave Courbet, leading figures of Realism, greatly influenced his style.

During his Paris years, Liebermann spent the summer months regularly in the Netherlands, which also had a profound impact on his work. He gradually broke away from academic traditions and began developing his own artistic language.

The Development of His Style

Liebermann was fascinated by artists in France and the Netherlands who depicted rural life in a natural, unembellished way. He adopted their socially critical perspective on the hard lives of rural workers and reflected it in his own works. His scenes were neither heroic nor idealized but showed both the hardship and dignity of simple labour. This contrasted with the idealized representations common in the art of the time.

In addition to depicting everyday life, Liebermann became more focused on light and colour. The French Impressionists, especially Claude Monet, greatly influenced him. He was struck by their ability to portray light in a fleeting, atmospheric manner. Liebermann adopted this approach, filtering light through trees and leaves, allowing it to flow over meadows and paths. This looser, flowing style became especially evident in his later garden paintings.

Return to Berlin

Between 1879 and 1884, Max Liebermann lived mainly in Munich, where he continued to develop his artistic style and solidified his reputation as a leading figure of Realism. In Munich, he connected with important artist circles, forming relationships that would later shape his career in Berlin.

Returning to Berlin in 1884, Liebermann took on a significant role in the German art scene. Having embraced progressive ideas of Realism and Impressionism in Paris, he faced resistance in Germany, often clashing with the conservative establishment. Institutions like the Academy of Arts rejected many of the modern movements Liebermann supported, seeing them as a threat to established values.

In 1892, Liebermann co-founded the Vereinigung der XI with ten other progressive artists. Their aim was to create a platform for modern art outside the confines of traditional academies. They organized independent exhibitions to showcase the works of artists who did not conform to academic norms.

In 1898, Liebermann became a co-founder and first president of the Berlin Secession, which stood in opposition to the conventional art understanding of the Prussian Academy of Arts and the Verein Berliner Künstler. The Secession played a key role in promoting modern art and supporting young artists.

During his time in Berlin, Liebermann’s artistic style evolved significantly. His palette brightened, and his works became more infused with vibrant colours and a looser, more impressionistic technique. He focused more on scenes of bourgeois life and gained recognition as a sought-after portrait artist. After building his summer house by Lake Wannsee, he turned his attention to landscape and garden paintings, characterized by a masterful use of light and atmosphere. Liebermann found both a retreat and a source of inspiration in his garden.

Liebermann and the Political Situation

"I could not possibly eat as much as I would like to vomit."

- Max Liebermann

As a prominent Jewish artist, Max Liebermann was increasingly confronted with the antisemitic policies of the Nazi regime in the 1930s. The Nazis branded his art as "degenerate" and removed his works from public collections. In 1933, he was forced to resign from his honorary presidency of the Prussian Academy of Arts due to his Jewish heritage. This marked the end of his public career, and he gradually withdrew from public life.

Liebermann witnessed the growing isolation and disenfranchisement of the Jewish population in Germany firsthand. His later years were marked by bitterness and disappointment. On the day of Hitler’s rise to power, a torchlit procession passed by his home on Pariser Platz. This was when Liebermann made his famous statement, quoted above.

During this period, his artistic output declined, as the political and social circumstances increasingly paralysed him. He died in 1935, before the persecution of Jews in Germany reached its horrific peak, but his final years were marked by a deep sense of powerlessness and grief over the destruction of what he had built in both his life and art.

Liebermann’s wife, Martha, later endured the full impact of antisemitic persecution. In 1943, facing deportation to the Theresienstadt concentration camp, she took her own life. The graves of Max and Martha Liebermann lie in the Jewish Cemetery in Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg.

Max Liebermann Image Gallery

Legacy and Influence on the Art World

Max Liebermann’s works are today recognized as significant contributions to German Impressionism and Realism. After years of ostracism during the Nazi regime, his work was rediscovered in the post-war years. Liebermann influenced generations of artists, particularly through his innovative use of light and colour and his engagement with social themes. His work is regularly honoured in museums such as the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin and in exhibitions worldwide. His garden paintings from Wannsee are among his most famous creations.

For me, Max Liebermann is not only a master of light but also an artist who captures the beauty of everyday life with honesty and sensitivity that resonates deeply with me as an artist.
What fascinates you most about Max Liebermann’s art? Is there a particular work that touches you? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments – I look forward to your ideas and impressions!