Max Slevogt

Max Slevogt (1868–1932) was a German Impressionist painter and graphic artist who, alongside Lovis Corinth and Max Liebermann, formed the triumvirate of German Impressionism. Born in Landshut, Bavaria, he studied at the Munich Academy under Wilhelm von Diez and later spent time in Paris. He is best known for his dynamic, spontaneous portraits and figure subjects—including the celebrated series of portraits of the baritone Francisco d'Andrade performing as Don Giovanni—and for his vigorous landscape and orientalist paintings from his 1914 trip to Egypt. The paintings in this batch, from 1900–1904, show his characteristic freedom: The Dancer Marietta di Rigardo (1904), Faun and a girl (1900), Grape harvest (1900), Angela von Tschudi (1902), the Papageienmann (1901), and Self Portrait in the Studio (1903). His brushwork is loose and energetic, with a Manet-influenced directness that sets German Impressionism apart from the French version. He was later appointed professor at the Berlin Academy and produced major graphic works including illustrations for Benvenuto Cellini and Lederstrumpf.

Slevogt's style is the most spontaneous and gestural of the German Impressionists: his brushwork moves quickly, his colour is direct and confident, and his figures are captured in the midst of movement. His palette is warm and varied—cream whites, warm browns, rich reds—and his compositions often capture a specific moment of action or character. The theatrical subjects—the dancer, the singer—allow him to combine figure painting with the dramatic energy he most relished.

Slevogt, with Liebermann and Corinth, established German Impressionism as a significant national tendency distinct from French Impressionism. His influence on subsequent German figure painting was considerable, and his graphic work—often overlooked in favour of his oils—is equally important in the history of German printmaking.