Moonlit Night

A life shaped by light and travel

Born in Berlin to a goldsmith from Zagreb, Franz Skarbina spent his early years absorbing the textures of his surroundings. His formal training began at the Prussian Academy of Arts between 1865 and 1869. After these studies, he took on a role as a tutor for the daughters of Count Friedrich von Perponcher-Sedlnitzky. This position allowed him to move through Dresden, Vienna, Venice, Munich, Nuremberg, and Merano. These travels brought him into contact with different landscapes and light.

In 1877, he used his savings for a year-long study trip through the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. It was during these months that the influence of impressionism began to settle into his work. He later returned to Paris in 1882 and again in 1885, spending significant time observing the streets and the atmosphere of the city. His hands learned the loose brushwork and the muted tones found in the coastal towns and urban centers he visited.

The classroom and the academy

Skarbina’s career was deeply tied to the institutions of Berlin. He served as an assistant teacher at the Prussian Academy in 1878 and later taught anatomical drawing at the Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin in 1881. By 1888, he had reached the position of professor at the Prussian Academy. His technical focus often rested on anatomy and proportion studies, skills he passed on to his students.

However, his time within the academy was marked by friction. In 1893, he resigned from his teaching post following disagreements with the Director, Anton von Werner. This tension arose from his involvement with the Group of Eleven, a collection of artists seeking to exhibit work that moved away from traditional academic influence. This path eventually led him to become a founding member of the Berlin Secession in 1898.

Subject and technique

His paintings often captured the quiet rhythms of daily life. While he was a city dweller for much of his career, focusing on the streets of Berlin and Paris, he found particular inspiration in seaside resorts during the summer. He documented scenes such as the beach at Marina Piccola in Capri, using watercolor to catch the light on the water and the figures on the sand.

The variety in his output reflected a wide range of technical interests:

• Watercolor: Used for capturing atmospheric effects and seaside scenes.
• Etching and Drawing: Focused on precise lines and anatomical accuracy.
• Oil Painting: Employed to depict urban life and street scenes with impressionistic light.

His work earned him recognition through various medals, including a bronze medal at the Exposition Universelle in 1900 and a gold medal for his painting Promenade in Karlsbad at the Internationalen Kunstaustellung in Berlin. He died in Berlin in 1910, leaving behind a body of work held in museums across Germany, from Dresden to Munich.