Max Schlichting studied in Berlin and, during a study trip through Holland in 1889, worked for some time in Katwijk. Around 1898 he moved to Paris, a city that had an extraordinary attraction for young artists around 1900. There he found freedom, became acquainted with the work of the French Impressionists and found a wealth of subjects in the animated city life of the boulevards, cafes and taverns. After settling in Berlin, he made a name for himself with cityscapes and fashionable depictions of Berlin as well as Rome and Venice. Max Schlichting was an honorary member of the Verein Berliner Künstler.