The Life and Academic Career of Karl Krattner
Born in Prague, Czech Republic, Karl Krattner was a versatile painter, graphic artist, restorer, art theorist, and teacher. His formal artistic training began at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, where he studied religious and monumental painting under František Sequens. He later continued his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, focusing on the fundamentals of drawing and painting technique under Gyula Benczúr and Otto Seitz. Following a period of study in Austria, Hungary, and Italy, including visits to Verona, Padua, and Venice, he worked as a decorative painter in Munich and as a stained glass designer for Franz Xaver Zettler.
In 1910, Krattner was appointed to the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, where he led the class for monumental painting until 1925 and served as Rector of the Academy in 1913/14. His professional life was deeply intertwined with various organizations, including the Association of German Visual Artists in Bohemia and the Metznerbund, of which he was a co-founder and served as the first chairman from 1920 to 1923.
Artistic Focus and Notable Works
The primary focus of Krattner's creative output was Christian art and decorative fresco painting. His extensive body of work includes significant religious commissions, such as ceiling frescoes in the Tepl Monastery library, murals in the city library of Aussig, and various altar pieces and wall paintings in churches like the Church of the Visitation in Maria Stock and the Church in Deutsch-Gabel. He also performed restoration work on the ceiling frescoes in Trpist Castle.
His diverse portfolio includes various genres and mediums:
