Conrad Kiesel (1846-1921) German

KIESEL, Conrad (1846-1921) German
Conrad Kiesel (* 29. November 1846 in Düsseldorf; † 28. Mai 1921 in Berlin) war ein deutscher Architekt, Maler und Bildhauer
Mr. Kiesel was born in Düsseldorf, Germany on November 29, 1846. He was originally trained as an architect while studying at the Academy of Berlin where he discovered a new talent as a sculptor as an understudy with Fritz Schaper. He focused his talents as a sculptor and worked steadily under Mr. Schaper, who thought highly of Mr. Kiesel’s skill. Under the successful exhibition of several of his statues and bust, which garnered him considerable acclaim, he seems to have been seized with a sudden desire to become a painter. As an understudy, he learned his first techniques under the direction of the painter F. Paulsen. Mr. Kiesel than moved on to work under W. Sohn in Düsseldorf. Mr. Kiesel acquired his exquisite sense and technique for depicting fabrics and with vibrant brush strokes brought life to the bold colors and added luxuriant texture to the paint surface, complimenting the lace and the fabrics that adorn the figures. With the combination of his natural abilities in the art of painting and rigorous training under Mr. Sohn, Mr. Kiesel’s success was assured in this third medium as well. His technical skill, composition and coloring made him famous in his later chosen field. Mr. Kiesel would choose female beauties as one of his favored subjects and became an expert at genre pieces. He participated in the Berlin Academy exhibitions after 1870, as well as exhibitions in Munich and Düsseldorf. In 1885 he settled in Berlin as a portraitist and genre painter while at the same time maintaining his reputation as a sculptor. He attracted paintings commissions from Emperor Wilhelm II and obtained an honorable professorship of the Berlin Academy of Arts. Throughout his life, Kiesel submitted works at the Annual Great Art Exhibition in Berlin and the Glass Palace Exhibitions in Munich, eventually receiving a Gold Medal in the 1889 and 1890 in Berlin, Germany. In 1892, he became a member of the Academy in Berlin, Germany.  In 1900 he received an honorable mention at the World Exhibition Universelle in Paris, France. Mr., Kiesel style is recognized for his depiction of beautiful young ladies not so much in the form of portraiture, but more as homage to feminine beauty, and the perfection of this beauty was heightened further by the remarkable finish and purity of tone in his paintings of perceived exoticism of Southern and Eastern peoples. In Mr. Kiesel’s handling of the figures, the stylistic influences of masters like John Singer Sargent are apparent. His work is collected throughout the world, and is represented in many public collections throughout Europe and United States. Mr. Kiesel died on May 28th, 1921.