Victor Paul Mohn

Victor Paul Mohn (1842–1911), German, Victor Paul Mohn, a distinguished German landscape painter, draftsman, and illustrator of the Late Romantic period, was born on November 17, 1842, in Meißen. The son of Johann August Mohn, a master builder, Mohn's artistic journey began under the tutelage of porcelain painters Eduard Naumann and Friedrich Wilhelm Schlechte. His formal education continued at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts from 1858 to 1861, where he later became the last pupil of Adrian Ludwig Richter, a pivotal figure in his development. Mohn's early career was marked by a study trip to North Bohemia with Richter and fellow students in 1861, followed by two significant sojourns to Italy in 1866/67 and 1868/69, the latter made possible by the Grand Saxon State Scholarship for his painting 'Campagna di Roma'.
Upon returning to Dresden, Mohn's career flourished as he took on roles as a lecturer and Richter's deputy at the Academy, eventually becoming a professor in 1880. His marriage to Margarethe Gaber, Richter's granddaughter, in 1873, further entwined his life with the artistic legacy of his mentor. In 1883, Mohn relocated to Berlin, where he achieved further acclaim as a professor at the Royal Art School and later as its director in 1905, alongside his appointment to the Senate of the Berlin Academy of Arts. Mohn's oeuvre, rich in landscapes from Saxony, Switzerland, and Italy, reflects his deep connection to nature and his mastery of the Romantic tradition. His contributions to art education and his role in the Prussian State Art Commission underscored his influence beyond his paintings. Mohn passed away on February 17, 1911, in Berlin, leaving behind a legacy as a pivotal figure in German Romantic art.