Early Life, Family and Training

Alexander Peltzer enters the world on April 28, 1876, in Moscow, Russia. He is born into a family with deep roots in the Rhineland; his father, Alexander Peltzer, is a merchant and textile manufacturer hailing from Stolberg. His mother is Maria Katharina Peltzer. In these early years, the boy is known by the name Otto Alexander (Sascha) Aleksandrowitsch Peltzer.

The trajectory of his life shifts toward the arts through formal instruction. He undergoes his training in Munich, absorbing the technical foundations that will later define his approach to the canvas. This period of education marks a departure from the commercial world of his father, setting the stage for a life divided between the mercantile and the creative.

Career in Moscow and Munich

Moscow provides the backdrop for Peltzer’s early professional life. He operates as a merchant within the trading house established by his father, Alexander Peltzer, a textile manufacturer from Stolberg. This period is defined by the commerce of the Russian capital, far removed from the landscapes that would later define his visual output. He functions within the family business, managing the mercantile interests of the Peltzer name in a bustling urban environment.

The shift occurs between 1911 and 1917. Peltzer moves from Moscow to Munich, a transition that fundamentally alters his trajectory. In Munich, the merchant identity recedes as he undergoes formal artistic training. The focus shifts from trade to the technical demands of painting. This period marks his definitive turn toward the brush, as he moves away from the commercial world of his father to establish himself as a professional painter.

Life and Work in Chiemgau

The transition to the Chiemgau region marks a definitive shift in Peltzer's life. In 1932, he settles in Chieming am Chiemsee, establishing himself in his own house. The landscape of the Chiemgau becomes his primary source of inspiration. He finds his motifs here, moving away from his previous life in Moscow and Munich to capture the specific character of this Bavarian setting.

His professional standing is reflected in his affiliation with the Reichsverband Bildender Künstler Deutschlands. This membership places him within the organized community of German visual artists during this period. His work from this era often focuses on the natural elements of the region, such as the birch trees and lakeshores that define the local scenery.