Life and Academic Career
Born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, Josef Plenk was a painter, graphic artist, exlibrist, and university teacher. After studying under Franz Jaschke in Vienna, he attended the Academy of Fine Arts Munich, where he studied under Ludwig von Herterich and Angelo Jank. In 1929, he was appointed as an extraordinary professor for free drawing and painting at the TH Darmstadt.
His academic career faced significant disruption in 1933 when he was dismissed from his position at the TH Darmstadt. Following this, he was appointed to the Werkkunstschule Offenbach, a position he held until the end of March 1945. After the war, he sought to return to his former position at the TH Darmstadt, but the professorship was already occupied. He eventually received confirmation that his venia legendi was valid in 1955, after which he was emeritus.
Artistic Works
Plenk's body of work includes various subjects ranging from historical scenes to figure studies. His documented paintings include:
In addition to these works, he created a fresco for the hall of the Meisterschule in Offenbach and a ceiling painting located in Munich.
