Biography
Wilhelm Westerop was an accomplished German animal painter who specialised in portraits of horses.
Little has been recorded about his life aside from a few sources describing him as active in Potsdam, while conflicting accounts give his birthplace as either Aachen or Potsdam. His place of death was most likely Rath, now a district of Düsseldorf.
There is, however, an interesting documentary trail which may illuminate his earlier life. In March 1906, a Wilhelm Westerop of Aachen applied for an administrative position at the School of Applied Arts in Düsseldorf. He was appointed on 1 April, replacing Wilhelm Jahn, and from January 1907 additionally assisted in the school's library.
Although we can't be certain that this was the same man, the combination of name, date and geography makes it more than plausible. If this was indeed him, his employment at the School of Applied Arts provides a glimpse of Westerop before he became an animal painter. His position was administrative rather than artistic, yet it placed him within the environment of an important art school, where painters and an extensive specialist library formed part of his working life.
Looking across his known oeuvre, it's apparent that he specialised in horse portraiture and undertook numerous commissions. He painted them both at work - harnessed to carts, hauling timber, accompanying farmers - and stabled, generally seen from the side with close attention to musculature.
He also painted other animals, particularly dogs, yet it was horses that sustained his reputation.
Known For
Animal paintings, particularly commissioned portraits of horses.
Lived In
Aachen; Düsseldorf; Potsdam.
Timeline
1876
Born in Germany.
Several secondary sources give Aachen as his birthplace, while others state Potsdam. The discrepancy remains unresolved.
1906
A Wilhelm Westerop of Aachen applied for the vacant administrative-assistant position at the School of Applied Arts in Düsseldorf. He took up the position on 1 April 1906, replacing Wilhelm Jahn. An annual report from the school independently records the appointment. Although the identification with the painter cannot presently be proven, the name, period and geographical connections correspond closely.
1907
From 1 January, the Wilhelm Westerop employed by the School of Applied Arts additionally assisted in its library.
1908
Received an approved salary increase.
1909
Left the School of Applied Arts at the end of December following financial difficulties. Archival records refer to creditors and Westerop's own report concerning 500 marks withdrawn from the school's advance fund.
1920s-1930s
Established a reputation particularly as a painter of horses. Numerous surviving works depict individual animals in profile, alongside broader agricultural and equestrian subjects.
1929
Dated horse portraits demonstrate that Westerop was producing his characteristic individual equine studies by the end of the decade.
1932
Correspondence preserved among the papers of Robert Lehr records an offer from Westerop to paint a horse portrait, providing documentary evidence of his activity as a commissioned equine portraitist.
1934
A surviving portrait of a brown horse bears a handwritten commemorative inscription on its stretcher dated 11 July 1934.
Later Years
Continued to paint animal and rural subjects. Surviving works include portraits of named and pedigree horses, working horses, dogs and agricultural scenes.
1954
Died in Germany. Some secondary sources specify Rath, Düsseldorf, while others simply give Düsseldorf.