Ernst Opplerartist • painterHannover (Duitsland) 1867-1929 Berlijn

Ernst Oppler is considered one of the important German painters of around 1900. He studied at the Munich Academy and then went to London, following Whistler. Fascinated by the individual perception of the artist in which there is room for improvisation, he spent a year (1901) in Holland learning how to paint en plein air. As a result, after his move to Berlin in 1905, he found a connection with the ideas of the young Berlin art scene, which rebelled against the traditional themes and painting methods of the Empire. Until 1912 he exhibited at the exhibitions of the Berlin Secession with smoothly painted landscapes and fashionable beach scenes. He is also a much sought-after portraitist. After 1912 he turned his attention to performances by Les Ballets Russes, the ballets and dancers of which he recorded in countless drawings and watercolours.