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
/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

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

Biography

Works

References

Further reading/sources

External links