Paul Renner was born in a town called Wernigerode, Germany. Paul’s mother passed very early in his life, leaving his father to raise five sons alone. Paul’s father was known to be an evangelical theologian, who raised all his children in a Protestant environment.
Growing up he was taught to have a strong sense of pride, duty and leadership for Germany. Paul has mentioned that his strict upbringing stifled his own sense for creativity.
Paul attended a Gymnasium, the German equivalent of advanced secondary schooling similar to prep schools in North America. The institution he attended had a particular focus on humanities. Paul was learning languages such as Greek and Latin for nine years while he studied at the Gymnasium.
Afterwards, Paul Renner decided to pursue art studies at different institutions, learning painting and architecture along the way.
By 1900, Paul Renner had completed his studies in Munich. He left the education system appreciating the knowledge he had gained but felt he lived in an “artificial world”, a world in which his ideals where absent. This period marks the beginning of his art journey.
By 1907, Paul Renner was now a father and husband to Annie Renner, in order to support his family he found a job in Munich at the Munich Publishing Trade.