KOLBE, Carl Wilhelm - b. 1759 Berlin, d. 1835 Dessau

German painter, etcher and writer. He first worked as a teacher for French and art in Dessau. In 1793 he decided to study at the academy of arts in Berlin. There he was a pupil of Asmus Carstens, Johann W. Meil (1733-1805) and Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki. In 1795 he became a member of the academy. From 1796 he worked as an art teacher in Dessau again. In 1798 he was appointed as a copper engraver at the court of the prince.

January 1805 Kolbe asked Prince Franz von Anhalt to leave Dessau for more than one year. Heinrich Gessner, the son of Solomon Gessner, Swiss poet and painter, wanted to give Kolbe a contract to make etchings from paintings (gouaches) of his father in Zurich. After Kolbe had made the first etching he was allowed to leave Dessau to go to Zurich, where he stayed until 1808.

Beside his works of art he published several papers about the German language. In 1810 he got a PhD in philosophy at the university of Halle. His autobiography was published in 1825.

Fantastical Tree

Kolbe produced the most expressive form of landscape during his period. He came to art late in life, after having trained as a French tutor. Kolbe’s work can best be understood in the context of the Sturm und Drang movement, with which it appears to have an affinity. His own images are of a wild, storm-tossed nature. He worked in etching, a medium which intensified the vigour of his forms.