German painter. Born in the village of Bernau in the Black Forrest, Thoma went to Basel in 1853, where he began an apprenticeship in lithography before turning to painting. He spent some time in Paris, and under Courbet's influence focused on figure and landscape painting after his return to Germany. In his love of the details of nature, in his precise drawing of outline, and in his predilection for local coloring, he has distinct affinities with the Pre-Raphaelites.