Genre painter Hermann Koch was born in Dömitz in the Mecklenburg region of Germany, on November 22nd, 1856. After leaving high school he began his artistic education as one of several students under his father, architect of the Grand Duke. In 1875 Koch went to Nuremburg in Bavaria where he studied sculpture under Kreeling and Professor Schwabe. After meeting other painters there, he went to Munich in 1876. There he enrolled at the Academy of Munich where he became a drawing student of Ludwig von Löfftz (1845-1910), who specialized in historical, allegorical, religious, landscape and genre paintings. He then entered the painting school, becoming a student of Wilhelm Lindenschmit, The Younger (1829-1895). Under his tutelage, Koch produced his first masterpiece, Tintoretto Painting his Dead Daughter, which brought the young artist much acclaim in the International Exhibition at Munich in 1883.

After his successful debut, Koch became sought after to complete portraits of wealthy families and notable patrons such as the Countess Hohenthal. Koch was widely admired for his stunning use of color and his romantic scenes, which are characteristic of his work. Little is known of the artist’s life except that he stopped exhibiting his works around 1913 and is presumed to have died in Munich.

He received a medal in Munich in 1905.