Hermann Prell
Hermann Prell was a German history painter and sculptor.Life and work
He was born at Leipzig and studied under Theodor Grosse in Dresden and Karl Gussow in Berlin, then went to Italy to study fresco painting with Hans von Marées, in which style he produced the bulk of his works, despite Marées skepticism regarding his talent. Arnold Böcklin was also a major influence.
He became a teacher at the Prussian Academy of Art in 1886. That same year, he married Sophie Sthamer, who was also a painter. In 1892, he was appointed a Professor at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts and remained there until his retirement in 1914.
He ranks as one of the foremost German historical painters of his time. He is especially known for his successful use of casein colors in fresco. In later life, he executed sculptures and collaborated on several projects with Otto Lessing, Christian Behrens and Alfred Messel. He maintained a studio in a villa on the banks of Elbe from 1897 until his death in Loschwitz in 1922.
Many of his works, especially his easel paintings, were destroyed during the fire-bombing of Dresden in 1945.
His brother was the landscape painter, and his son, was a zoologist.Notable works
