Emanuel Leutze (1816-1868) was an American-German painter. Born in Schwäbisch Gmünd (Baden-Württemberg), he moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1825, where his republican father found refuge. His teacher was the English painter John Rubens Smith (1775-1849) and he started as a painter of portraits. In 1841 he moved back to Germany to study at the Academy of Arts in Düsseldorf. The Naturalism, strict rules for the use of light and the detailed pictures of this Academy became worldwide known when Leutze created „Washington Crossing the Delaware“ in 1851. A small engraving brought him world fame in 1853. In 1857, Leutze painted Titian as artist on the Lagune amidst a renaissance entourage, a reference to his inspiration and admiration for Titian in relation with the rulers of the Renaissance and Washington as new hope of and in the new world. Leutze gave this engraving to his friend and art collector Julius Erhard, who should donate his complete collection, including this engraving, to the Museum of Gmünd in 1886. Emanuel Leutze combined American and European painting traditions in perspective of the famous Academy of Art of Düsseldorf. This exhibitions shows the works of Leutze from this point of view.
