By Paul A. Tenkotte
Special to the NKyTribune
One of the Tri-State region’s most famous artists is Frank Duveneck (1848-1919). In a new book entitled The Greatest Brush: Love, Tragedy and Redemption of Artist Frank Duveneck (Wellesley, MA: Branden Books, 2016), James Ott takes a fresh look at the complicated life of an artistic genius.
Frank and Elizabeth Boott Duveneck (Courtesy of Kenton County Library)
Frank Duveneck was born in Covington, as “Frank Decker,” the son of Bernard and Katherine Siemers Decker. In 1849, his father died in a cholera epidemic. Two years later, his mother married Joseph Duveneck. Frank grew up in the household of his stepfather, who operated a beer garden on Greenup Street.
Growing up Catholic, the Duveneck family attended St. Joseph Church on East 12th Street in Covington. There, Benedictine brother, Cosmas Wolf (1822-94), and his assistants at the Covington Altar Building Stock Company, Johann Schmitt (1825-98) and Wilhelm Lamprecht (1838-1906), schooled Duveneck in the fine art of ecclesiastical painting for churches throughout the Midwest.
Friends and mentors encouraged Duveneck to study at the Royal Academy of Art in Munich, where he became a practitioner of realism. Receiving early acclaim for his art from Henry James in 1875 in Boston, Duveneck later moved to Venice and Florence, Italy.
Duveneck’s 1886 marriage to Elizabeth “Lizzie” Boott was cut short by her death two years later. The couple had one child, also called Frank. Overcome by sorrow, Duveneck returned to Covington, where he continued to paint. He also taught at the Cincinnati Art Academy.
James Ott traces Duveneck’s life through three periods: his deep “love” for Elizabeth; the “tragedy” of her death and other misfortunes in his family life; and his “redemption” as he came to grips with the larger meaning of life and his ultimate purpose.
In Chapter Ten of the book, Ott examines 1900 and the years following as a turning point, marking as it were, Duveneck’s “redemption.” This chapter features a fascinating and profound analysis of Duveneck’s mural paintings at Covington’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption. In the words of Rev. William Cleves, which Ott quotes, the murals come vividly alive.
For this new biography, Ott interviewed many people, including Hope Duveneck Williams, the last surviving granddaughter of Frank and Lizzie, and David Duveneck, their great-grandson.
Whether you’re interested in art, history, theology, or simply a good love story, you’ll find The Greatest Brush an informative and entertaining read. Please join the author for a book signing on Saturday, December 19 at 2 p.m. at Wessel Studios, 2152 Alpine Place, Cincinnati. To RSVP, please contact James Ott at 859-341-8032.
Paul A. Tenkotte (tenkottep@nku.edu) is Professor of History and Director of the Center for Public History at NKU. With other well-known regional historians, James C. Claypool and David E. Schroeder, he is a co-editor of the new 450-page Gateway City: Covington, Kentucky, 1815-2015, now available at your local booksellers, the City of Covington, and online sellers.
