Franz Radziwill

Franz Radziwill biography

The painter Franz Radziwill is regarded as one of the most important representatives of Magic Realism, a specific form of New Objectivity. He initially studied architecture in Bremen, but also took drawing courses during that time and created his first architectural paintings and still lifes. The prints he created from 1919 were still based on the style of the “Brücke” artists. In 1922 Radziwill settled permanently in Dangast and distanced himself from his early Expressionist works.

He was inspired by the rugged northern German landscape, by his studies of Italian “pittura metafisica” and early Dutch paintings and also by several months working at Otto Dix's studio in Dresden. All this enabled him to develop his own characteristic style which combined a precise, naturalist rendering with a mystical and ominous atmosphere. His preferred subjects were landscapes, harbours and still lifes, often complemented by fantasy details. The horrors of the Second World War were turned by Radziwill into apocalyptic visions, and his late works were largely marked by an air of fairytale-like surrealism.