View of Szczecin Harbour

Maritime painting, also referred to as marina, is one of the kinds of painting, which enjoyed particular popularity in the 17th and 18th centuries. The genre focused on depictions of seascapes, ports, coasts and naval battles. Among the most noteworthy artists pursuing this trend was Willy Stöwer (1864-1931), court painter to German Emperor Wilhelm II, who created oil paintings, drawings, watercolours, gouaches, prints, and book illustrations. The fall of the Second Reich in 1918 marked the end of the most artistically prolific period of his life, brought about by a reduction in the number of commissions. Stöwer died in 1931 in Berlin in his villa built in 1913 at Gabrielenstrasse 68. In 2005, Karl F. Schumann, professor of forensic science and sociology, moved in and began collecting works created by the late artist, with the aim of establishing an art gallery in Stöwer's former home. In the end, these plans did not come into fruition, and the collector was forced to sell off the collected works. In 2014, the National Museum in Szczecin repurchased a gouache by Willy Stöwer depicting the Szczecin harbour, which was painted by the artist in April 1923 during his stay in then Stettin from Schumann.

Anna Lew-Machniak