The painter and graphic artist Norbertine Roth was born in Graz on November 13, 1891. She began her studies at the early age of 10 at the Landeskunstschule in Graz, where she studied with Alfred v. Schroetter. The specialization in animal representations took place after two stays in the summer of 1909 and 1910 in the Dachau painting school Hans von Hayek's, a student of the animal painter Heinrich von Zügel. Thanks to Alfred Schroetter, she was able to continue her studies in Vienna at the school for women of the graphic professor Alfred Schmutzer and then in his studio at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts as a private student. The official visit was not yet permitted to women. The pupil's apparent talent made Schmutzer and his colleagues forego all tuition fees.
After a successful first exhibition at the Vienna Secession in 1914, Norbertine Roth settled in Graz in 1916 as a freelance artist. She carried out zealous studies of exotic and indigenous animals in all European zoos and in the wild. In her paintings, in which she used very dry oil paint on coarse-grained jute, she combined the individual observations of nature into depictions that describe the character and physiognomy of the animals in a typical and ideal way. Some of her in fact realistic depictions increased to something fantastic through the mysterious refulgence of the color palette.
By marrying Georg Ritter von Bresslern (1892-1952) in 1919 the artist found a partner, who was not insignificant for her successful work. He was also supportive. She adopted the then young linocut technique and developed new artistic expressions for this medium based on Japanese and Secessionist models.
In addition to many study trips within Europe, the trip to North Africa (Libya) in 1927 was one of the most drastic experiences. Norbertine Bresslern-Roth died in Graz in 1978.
