Anthony Zeni – The German Painter of the Battle of the Somme
Born on July 21, 1890 in Berlin, Germany, Anthony Zeni was a German painter famous for his artistic interpretation of the Battle of the Somme. His mother, a sculptor, was credited for introducing young Zeni to art through her poetry and sketches. Zeni further received encouragement from his uncle who also served as his tutor.
Anthony Zeni showed his artistic bent at a very young age. At the age of 17, he enrolled at Dresden Academy of Fine Arts to acquire formal training. In between 1907 to 1914, Zeni produced over a hundred sketches and oil paintings that remarkably exhibited Germany’s domestic scenes, people and landscapes, and Zeni’s growth as an artist. Until 1914, his artwork represented these common subjects.
The summer of the following year was the turning point of Anthony Zeni’s artistic career. He enlisted in the German Army in 1915 and was sent to the Western Front where he took part in the Battle of the Somme. Badly wounded, Anthony Zeni returned to Berlin and began working on his post-war paintings which were, in general, portrayals of his painful memories of the battle. His artistic genius, remarkable brush techniques and use of vivid and horrifying images were immortalized in his masterpiece – Somme: The Remains of a German Soldier.
Tuesday January 12th, 2010 in Anthony Zeni | No comments »