August Kotzsch - Nature, Landscape, Genre

August Kotzsch (1836–1910) is one of the early masters of German photography, still undiscovered by many. His photographs were taken in the rural surroundings of Dresden. They offer a very fitting historical counterpart to the works of Simone Nieweg – as different as the technical premises of the two artistic positions may be. Nature itself, its hidden beauties as well as the work in and on nature are the connecting and time-spanning aspects that fascinate. In addition, here as well as there, there is the special gift of transforming what is attentively perceived and experienced as visual knowledge values as sensitively as well as clearly into allegorical documents.

August Kotzsch comes from a family of winegrowers based in Loschwitz, now a district of Dresden. He took over the family business there and started a large family. Even as a teenager he was interested in art, inspired not least by numerous artists who set up their summer residences in Loschwitzer Grund. Especially from the well-known painter and graphic artist Ludwig Richter (1803–1884) it is handed down that he first rented a room from the Kotzsch family from 1852 to spend the summer there. So it is not surprising that his works became the early models for Kotzsch, who felt encouraged by Richter to create drawings and prints; works not unlike his later photographic studies.

Through his acquaintance with the artist and photographer Johann Niemann, photography became Kotzsch's preferred artistic medium beginning around 1860. With Niemann's help, but above all on his own initiative, he acquired knowledge in the use of a camera, which eventually led to his becoming a self-employed photographer at the age of 24. Niemann had died shortly before and the young photographer had acquired the photographic equipment from his widow. Furthermore, he was to devote himself in his professional career, both in freelance and commissioned work, in addition to portrait and representative architectural photographs, in particular to landscape sections, the surrounding valleys and forests, the various garden corners, still lifes, plants and fruits of his own harvest and houses and farms. Little gems that, with great attention to detail, paint a realistic as well as romantic picture.

The works on loan come from the estate of August Kotzsch in cooperation with KICKEN BERLIN, as well as exhibits from the museum's own collection.

The exhibition was sponsored by the Kunststiftung NRW