Early Life, Family and Training Gustav Rienäcker was born on 16. August 1861 in Blankenburg (Harz). He was the son of Johann Andreas Leopold August Rienäcker and Johanna Wilhelmine Luise Rienäcker, née Bitterling. His early years in Blankenburg provided the foundation for a life spent within the studios and academies of Europe. His formal training began in earnest when he moved to the Academy of Art in Düsseldorf. Between 1882 and 1884, he studied under the guidance of Heinrich Lauenstein, Hugo Crola, and Adolf Schill. These years in Düsseldorf shaped his technical approach before he moved…