Gottlob Alexander Sauerweid (russian: Александр Иванович Зауервейд; 19 February 1783,
Kurland - 25 October 1844,
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
) was a
Baltic German
Baltic Germans (german: Deutsch-Balten or , later ) were ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their coerced resettlement in 1939, Baltic Germans have markedly declined ...
painter who taught
battle painting
Military art is art with a military subject matter, regardless of its style or medium. The battle scene is one of the oldest types of art in developed civilizations, as rulers have always been keen to celebrate their victories and intimidate po ...
at the
St. Petersburg Imperial Academy of Arts.
Biography
In 1795, when Kurland was annexed by Russia, his family moved to Germany where he received his artistic training at the
Dresden Academy of Fine Arts
The Dresden Academy of Fine Arts (German ''Hochschule für Bildende Künste Dresden''), often abbreviated HfBK Dresden or simply HfBK, is a vocational university of visual arts located in Dresden, Germany. The present institution is the product o ...
from 1806 to 1812.
[Short biography from the Большая советская энциклопедия](_blank)
/ref> As a young man, he enjoyed some popularity and produced a series of horse portraits, commissioned by Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
. He later went to Paris, travelling most of the way on foot for lack of funds, then to London, where his talent for painting battle scenes was recognized. In 1814, Czar Alexander I Alexander I may refer to:
* Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon 495–454 BC
* Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus
* Pope Alexander I (died 115), early bishop of Rome
* Pope Alexander I of Alexandria (died 320s), patriarch of ...
invited him to Saint Petersburg to paint official portraits of Russian troops and their uniforms. In 1825, he became the first Painter of the General Staff.
In 1827, he was named an honorary member of the Imperial Academy and soon became head of the battle painting class. Later he was elevated to full Professor. Under Czar Nicholas I, he was Art Instructor for the Grand Dukes Konstantin
The first name Konstantin () is a derivation from the Latin name ''Constantinus'' (Constantine) in some European languages, such as Russian and German. As a Christian given name, it refers to the memory of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great. ...
, Nicholas
Nicholas is a male given name and a surname.
The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglicanism, Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the n ...
and Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
.
Most of his paintings were displayed in the Imperial Palaces, rather than in exhibitions. The majority are still there. His sense of perspective has been criticized, but his horses are considered to be particularly well done. In addition to oil paintings, he left behind many watercolors, etchings and drawings in pen. His son Nikolay also became a painter of military scenes.
Works
Battle of Leipzig by Zauerweid.jpg, Battle of Leipzig
Siege of Varna 1828.jpg, The Siege of Varna
The siege of Varna (July–September 29, 1828) was a battle during the Russo-Turkish War, 1828–1829.
History
Varna was held by the Ottoman army. An approach to Varna by Russian forces was first attempted on June 28, but the Russian avan ...
(1836)
References
Further reading/sources
* Thomas Hemmann: ''Der Krieg in Sachsen 1809 dargestellt von Geißler und Sauerweid''. BoD (2011)
In the original Russian, this article incorporates material from the ''Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary
The ''Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopaedic Dictionary'' (Russian: Энциклопедический словарь Брокгауза и Ефрона, abbr. ЭСБЕ, tr. ; 35 volumes, small; 86 volumes, large) is a comprehensive multi-volume ...
'' (1890-1907)
External links
Художники и Время: Biographies of Alexander and his son Nikolay
Historischer Bilderdienst: Search results for "Sauerweid"
(links to several pages of uniform portraits)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sauerweid, Alexander
1783 births
1844 deaths
Painters from the Russian Empire
Military art
People from Courland Governorate
Baltic-German people
People from the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia
German emigrants to the Russian Empire