Wilhelm Leibl (1844–1900) was Germany's greatest Realist painter. Born in Cologne, the son of the Cathedral choir director, he initially trained as a locksmith before his drawing talent was recognized. He entered the Munich Academy in 1864, studying with Carl Theodor von Piloty and establishing a group studio with fellow young painters.
In 1869, Gustave Courbet came to Munich to exhibit his work, making a powerful impact on Leibl and his circle. After studying Courbet's method, Leibl's paintings became looser, their subjects depicted with thick impasto against dark backgrounds. At Courbet's suggestion, Leibl went to Paris, where he met Édouard Manet. The Franco-Prussian War forced his return in 1870.
In 1873, Leibl left Munich for the isolated Bavarian countryside, where he spent the rest of his life painting peasants without sentimentality or anecdote. His masterpiece, Three Women in Church (1878–1882), took four years to complete and recalls the clarity of Holbein. This period is known as his "Holbein period" for its disciplined precision. He led a group called the Leibl-Kreis (Leibl Circle), including Carl Schuch and Wilhelm Trübner. Unlike Impressionists, Leibl painted without preliminary drawing, working directly with color. He visited the Netherlands in 1898 and exhibited at the Berlin Secession in 1899. He died in Würzburg in 1900. His work is held at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich and the Kunsthalle Hamburg.
2 paintings catalogued with museum locations
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