Hermann Gradl (1883 - 1964)

Hermann Gradl

Hermann Gradl was a German artist of the first half of the twentieth century. He is known as a painter, graphic artist, illustrator and teacher, professor of art.

Hermann Gradl took up painting at the age of 25. He was self-taught, learning from the works of the masters of the Old German and Dutch schools, as well as the romanticized realists of the 19th century. The artist created small- and medium-format idyllic landscapes, urban vistas, and genre scenes. The rise to power in Germany of the National Socialists strengthened Gradl's position, as his work conformed to the cultural policies of the Third Reich. Hitler celebrated him as the best contemporary German landscape painter.

In all, Gradl created more than 8,000 drawings, some 2,100 oil paintings and hundreds of illustrations during his career.