Walter Leistikow

The rejection of his “Grundewaldsee” (Lake Grunewald) at the Grand Berlin Exhibition in 1888 was one of the triggers for the foundation of the Berlin Secession a year later in 1898, a development in which Leistikow played a major role. Finally, in 1903, he became one of the initiators of the Deutsche Künstlerbund (German Association of Artists). Leistikow’s painterly repertoire had its place between Jugendstil and Impressionism. The ornamental stylisation and decorative appearance of his evocative landscapes show influences of Symbolism and Japanese woodcuts. Later, he brightened up his colour palette and applied his paint more lightly.