Early Life and Artistic Training Born in Dessau on 27 February 1803, Wilhelm Krause begins his path through the visual arts under the guidance of Carl Wilhelm Kolbe. Kolbe recognizes a specific talent in the young man, providing the necessary impetus for a Ducal Scholarship. This opportunity shifts the trajectory of his life toward formal academic study. In 1821, Krause enters the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts. The atmosphere of the academy provides the technical foundation, but his ambitions reach beyond the classroom walls. He seeks out Caspar David Friedrich, attempting to secure a positi…