Hans Purrmann
Hans Purrmann studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Karlsruhe after completing his training at his father's painting business. From 1905 on, he was confronted with the latest trends in art as a young artist in Munich and Berlin, as well as with with the innovations of the European avant-garde during a stay in Paris. As a pupil of Henri Matisse, Purrmann developed his own pictorial language early on, untouched by Expressionism. In 1908, with his help, Matisse opened the private art school "Académie Matisse", which became an important meeting place for international artists. In later years Purrmann even took over the administration of the German artists' foundation Villa Romana in Florence. Purrmann consistently remained connected to representationalism in his oeuvre. In numerous still lifes, portraits, and above all in his landscapes, he strived for a balance between what he saw and what he reproduced in his paintings.