Hermann Knackfuß (1848 - 1915)

Hermann Knackfuß

Hermann Joseph Wilhelm Knackfuß was a German painter of the last third of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He is known as a painter who specialized in historical painting and portraiture, art historian and teacher.

Hermann Knackfuß created many historical paintings and murals on the history of Prussia, including murals in the hall of the Strasbourg train station. Early in his career, his work was characterized by a pedantic realism and attention to the details of historical costumes, but over time he introduced Impressionist features into his works. Knackfuß was also known as a portrait painter in demand by the Prussian nobility. He also authored biographies of artists and works on German art history.