Wilhelm Gdanietz was a German painter of genre scenes and interiors. He was particularly inspired by the people of Volendam in the Netherlands. He studied at the Düsseldorf Academy with Claus Meyer, Karl-Franz-Eduard von Gebhardt and Willy Spatz. Also an apprentice of Franz Kiederich.
Gdanietz led a difficult life but overcame the odds to become a very successful painter. At the age of two, he became deaf following a bout of scarlet fever, which led to him spending much of his childhood at a ‘deaf and dumb’ institution. During this time, he must’ve found great solace in his art as by the age of 19 he gained access to the Academy in Düsseldorf.
His style was firmly rooted in the past and he was particularly inspired by the Dutch old masters. For a while, he moved to Holland where he ran a studio in Volendam. In 1930, he retired to Düsseldorf and lived in a cottage decorated with Delft tiles and Dutch antiques.
1893
Born in Mainz, Germany.
1911
Studied at Düsseldorf Academy with Claus Meyer, Karl-Franz-Eduard von Gebhardt and Willy Spatz.
1927
Travelled to Volendam, the Netherlands.
C. 1935
Returned to Düsseldorf and transformed his studio interior into a Volendam cottage.
1969
Died in Düsseldorf, Germany