 thumb|self-portrait with skeleton, 1896, oil on canvas, 66 x 86 cm, stÃ¤dtische galerie im lenbachhaus    lovis corinth (21 july 1858 &ndash; 17 july 1925) was a german painter and printmaker whose mature work realized a synthesis of impressionism and expressionism. corinth studied in paris and munich, joined the berlin secession group, later succeeding max liebermann as the group's president. his early work was naturalistic in approach. corinth was initially antagonistic towards the expressionist movement, but after a stroke in 1911 his style loosened and took on many expressionistic qualities. his use of color became more vibrant, and he created portraits and landscapes of extraordinary vitality and power. corinth's subject matter also included nudes and biblical scenes. == early life == corinth was born franz heinrich louis on 21 july 1858 in tapiau, in prussia. the son of a tanner, he displayed a talent for drawing as a child, and in 1876 he went to study painting in the academy of kÃ¶nigsberg. in 1880 he attended the academy of fine art in munich, which rivaled paris as the avant-garde art center in europe at the time. there he was influenced by courbet and the barbizon school, through their interpretation by the munich artists wilhelm leibl and wilhelm trÃ¼bner. louis then traveled to antwerp and then paris where he studied under william-adolphe bouguereau at the acadÃ©mie julian. he returned to kÃ¶nigsberg in 1888 when he adopted the name "lovis corinth". ==career== in 1891, corinth returned to munich, but in 1892 he abandoned the munich academy and joined the munich secession. in 1894 he joined the free association, and in 1899 he participated in an exhibition organized by the berlin secession. these nine years in munich were not his most productive, and he was perhaps better known for his ability to drink large amounts of red wine and champagne. corinth moved to berlin in 1900, and had a one-man exhibition at a gallery owned by paul cassirer. in 1902 at the age of 43, he opened a school of painting for women and married his first student, charlotte berend, some 20 years his junior. charlotte was his youthful muse, his spiritual partner, and the mother of his two children. she had a profound influence on him, and family life became a major theme in his art. in december 1911, he suffered a [[strok
1858_births 1925_deaths 19th-century_German_painters 20th-century_German_painters Academy_of_Fine_Arts,_Munich_alumni German_Expressionist_painters German_Impressionist_painters German_printmakers People_from_the_Province_of_Prussia