Landscape in the light. On the 150th birthday of Otto Tarnogrocki / Landschaft im Licht. Zum 150. Geburtstag von Otto Tarnogrocki
Otto Tarnogrocki is one of the most popular artists at the Schwaan Art Museum. His paintings exude the light colours of Impressionism and bear witness to the skill of the painter, whose preferred motifs were not only the landscape, but also the sea with its harbour scenes and ships. What set him apart from other artists of his time was his special way of handling the brush. You can see in his paintings how much he was concerned with nature and light. He was a master at capturing these impressions with his painting technique.
Tarnogrocki was born on 6 June 1875 as the son of a rector and assistant preacher. After training in decorative painting, he began his art studies in Berlin in 1893, transferred to the art school in Weimar in 1894 and came into contact with Franz Bunke there. It was with him that he first travelled to Schwaan to study painting. He later continued his training at the Stuttgart Academy under Carlos Grethe. Study trips took him to Paris, where he worked both at the Louvre and in the Colarossi studio. After the death of his father, Tarnogrocki moved to Szczecin with his mother in 1905. He exhibited several times together with Franz Bunke and Rudolf Bartels as part of the Apelles artists’ group, including at the Glaspalast in Munich. He married Elisabeth Hoste in 1923. Despite living in different places, he always remained close to Schwaan and was a co-founder of the Mecklenburg-Pomeranian Artists’ Association. He suffered a severe blow in 1944 when his studio in Stettin was bombed out and a large part of his artistic work was destroyed. After the war, he and his wife moved to Nienhagen near Bad Doberan, where he died on 17 December 1946.
To mark the 150th anniversary of Otto Tarnogrocki’s birth, the Schwaan Art Museum is now dedicating a comprehensive exhibition to the artist. The anniversary exhibition presents over 40 works, including numerous new discoveries and private loans. It will be accompanied by a publication with an extended catalogue raisonné and new art-historical contributions.
As a special highlight, an event in his honour will take place on 6 June 2025, the 150th birthday of the artist. The Kunstmuseum Schwaan invites you to rediscover Tarnogrocki’s work and give him the attention he deserves.
