Boardt, Hans

G. Bordt was born and raised in Berlin. In 1872, a 15-year-old, he visited the port of Hamburg. This trip gave rise to a future painter interest in the sea and travel - long-distance sailing. Bordt begins to master the technique of drawing self-taught, his work is devoted to the marine theme. In 1880, his first solo exhibition was held. Bordt's paintings found their high admirer in the person of the German emperor Wilhelm II . The artist repeatedly accompanied the monarch in his travels in the North and Mediterranean Seas.

The most fruitful years for G. Bordt were the years from the beginning of the development of the German Navy in the 1890s until the end of the First World War. During these times, he created one of the most famous German propaganda posters “The Last” ( Der letze Mann ). Around 1900, he commissioned Cologne chocolate producer Ludwig Stolwerk, creating drawings for the Stolwerk collection album IV. In 1916 he released a collection album for Stolberg XVI entitled "The Great War" ("Der große Krieg"). In the same period, the artist produced many hundreds of drawings, illustrations for books, newspapers, magazines, and also developed posters, postcards and even restaurant menu cards for passenger liners.

After the defeat of Germany in the First World War and the flight of Kaiser Wilhelm II, crisis times ensue for the artist. The number of orders is sharply reduced, and mainly these are only illustrative works for German shipping companies (Bremen Lloyd , Hamburg-America line ( HAPAG )).

April 25, 1945, during an air raid, the house of G. Bordt in Berlin-Zelllendorf was completely destroyed. The artist never recovered from this blow. He died in a nursing home.

• Scholl, Lars U .: Hans Bohrdt - Marinemaler des Kaisers , Koehler, Hamburg 1995 ISBN 3-7822-0642-8

• G. Bordt's Selected Works
• The latter (original and parody, also other works of G. Bordt)