Winter Landscape with Donkeys

Hugo Mühlig was a celebrated German Impressionist painter known for his vibrant landscapes and genre scenes that often depict rural life bathed in sunlight. Born on November 9, 1854, in Dresden, Mühlig grew up in a family of artists—his father, Meno Mühlig, and his uncle, Bernhard Mühlig, were both accomplished landscape painters. He initially trained under his father and continued his studies at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts, where he became a master student of Viktor Paul Mohn.

While Mühlig’s drawings reflect the precision of the Ludwig Richter school, he developed a distinctive Impressionistic style in painting, using loose brushstrokes to create scenes that are richly detailed from afar yet reveal vibrant, painterly textures up close. His works, usually of modest size, are distinguished by their purity of color and masterful depiction of light, often portraying farmers, hunters, and lively outdoor scenes under bright, unfiltered sunlight.

In 1881, Mühlig moved to Düsseldorf, where he established himself as an independent artist, not affiliated with any official academy. As a freelance painter, he created works directly for the art market, which has resulted in many of his pieces remaining in private collections. However, his work is also featured in major public collections, including the Neue Galerie Berlin, the Kunstmuseum Düsseldorf, the Neue Galerie Kassel, and the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum in Cologne.

Hugo Mühlig passed away on February 16, 1929, in Düsseldorf, Germany.