Erich Mayer
Full name: Ernst Karl Erich Mayer Lifespan: 1876 Germany - 1960 Pretoria [84] Occupation: Artist Primary Mediums: Watercolors, oil paintings, sketches, and woodcuts. Key Subjects: Highveld landscapes, rural farm life, Baobab trees (Kremetartbome), vernacular architecture. Erich Mayer² Timeline Early Life & Architectural Beginnings Ernst Karl Erich Mayer was born on April 19, 1876, in Karlsruhe, Germany. He was awarded a bursary to study architecture at Charlottenburg Technische Hochschule (Berlin) from 1894-1896. He had to end his studies in 1896 due to illness, Seeking a warmer, healthier climate to aid his recovery, Mayer immigrated to South Africa in 1898 and initially found work as an assistant land-surveyor in Vrede, Free State. Technische Universität Berlin . Image source: Industriekultur. Wartime Confinements and Exile When the Anglo-Boer War broke out in 1899, he actively joined a Boer commando unit. He spent his nights sketching the local farmers and landscap...