Wilhelm Dreesen. Photographer and painter of the Ekensund artists’ colony

Wilhelm Dreesen (1840-1926) is considered one of the most important German photographers of the late 19th and early 20th century. His works bear witness to an era of artistic and cultural upheaval. Dreesen was not only a master of his craft, but also a sensitive observer who, with his camera, characterised the connection between photography and art in a new way.

His works are characterised by an extraordinary handling of light and composition, marking the transition from early photography to an independent artistic medium. At a time when art was undergoing radical change through movements such as Realism, Impressionism and Art Nouveau, Dreesen was among the leading artists of his generation.

Dreesen worked with the new photographic techniques of the time, such as the collodion wet plate and later the dry plate, which gave him greater flexibility. In doing so, he developed an unmistakable aesthetic that emphasised both the vastness of the landscape and the smallest details. Today, his photographs are important historical sources that bring to life the life and work of the generation of artists around 1900.

An exhibition of his works not only offers an insight into Dreesen’s extraordinary photographic skills, but also into the multi-layered world of art as it existed at the beginning of the 20th century.

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