Mountain Landscape - Richard Birnstengel - Snow-covered Peaks -

Richard Theodor Birnstengel (1881–1968) was a German painter, draughtsman, and engraver from Dresden. Born on October 27, 1881, he studied from 1901 to 1909 at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts, where his teachers included Oskar Zwintscher and Gotthardt Kühl, two important figures of Saxon Modernism. From this period onward, Birnstengel traveled extensively, undertaking study trips to Bohemia, Austria, Bavaria, as well as France, Corsica, and Dalmatia.

These experiences fostered his appreciation for luminous landscapes and scenes of nature, which would remain central to his work. The recurring themes in his oeuvre—mountains, forests, seascapes, and rural scenes—reflect a deep connection to nature and simple living. Birnstengel readily expressed his emotion at the beauty of the landscapes: “When I stood before the mountains, the dark forests, and the sap-filled meadows… all of this filled me with an overflowing, festive joy!”

This lyrical relationship with nature makes him one of the sensitive representatives of German Post-Impressionism. During the Second World War, much of his earlier work was destroyed in bombing raids. Despite this loss, Birnstengel resumed his activity after 1945 in Dresden and the Baltic region. Richard Birnstengel's works are now found in several public collections, notably in Dresden (Staatliche Kunstsammlungen) and Stralsund.