He began his education at the
Gymnasium Paulinum. Later, his family moved to
Osnabrück, where he continued his studies. Due to his talent for drawing, he was able to gain admission to the
Kunstakademie Düsseldorf at the age of sixteen, so he left school without getting his diploma. He would study there for twelve years. His primary instructors were
Ernst Deger and
Eduard von Gebhardt. His first professional success came in 1878, when he was awarded a silver medal in London, at an exhibition in
The Crystal Palace. That same year, the Akademie presented him with an award for his
fresco painting. He toured Italy in 1879. While there, he assisted
Ludwig Seitz, who was painting frescoes in the choir at
Treviso Cathedral. Upon returning to Germany, he worked with
Friedrich Geselschap on a series of paintings at the
Zeughaus in Berlin. They also collaborated on mosaic designs for the façade of the
Kunstgewerbemuseum. In 1881, he was commissioned to paint the Confessional Chapel in the pilgrimage city of Kevelaer. The following year, he moved there and bought a house, where his parents and his sister, Johanna, lived with him. In 1886, he opened a studio. He married Helene von Winkler (1867–1937) in 1890, and they had four children. In 1895, he provided designs for the
Basilica of the Holy Apostles, Cologne,
Notre-Dame Cathedral, Luxembourg, and the
Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Pelplin. Other important works include series of paintings at the
Rosary Basilica and the
Sacred Heart Church; both in Berlin. He was named a Knight in the
Order of the Crown (1899), and the
Order of St. Gregory the Great (1901). In 1905, he was offered a Professorship in Medieval painting at the
Technische Hochschule in Charlottenburg (now
Technische Universität Berlin), but declined to accept. He had a
stroke in 1918, and died from its complications the following year, aged sixty-nine. == Sources ==