Ernst Sigismund Kirchbach, or Ernesto Kirchbach (23 April 1831, Meißen - 16 August 1876,

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

) was a German history and portrait painter, who served as Director of the

Academy of Painting (Santiago, Chile) Academy of Painting (), also known as the School of Fine Arts of Santiago ( ''de Santiago''), was a Chilean art school, founded on March 17, 1849 in Santiago, Chile. The school produced many works for the Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts, wh ...

Biography

He studied at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts with

Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (26 March 1794 – 24 May 1872) () was a German painter, chiefly of Biblical subjects. As a young man he associated with the painters of the Nazarene movement who revived the florid Renaissance style in religious ar ...

, a painter of Biblical subjects. His first major work involved decorative paintings in the Rubens Hall at the Academy, done together with Carolsfeld. After the failure of the German revolutions of 1848–1849, he went into exile in London. There, he had his own workshop for five years; creating decorative works at what is now the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

. He married one of his fellow exiles; Emma Schmitthenner-Stockhausen, a teacher from

Rheinland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...

. They had two sons; Ernst Wolfgang, who became a writer, and Johann Frank, who followed in his father's footsteps as an artist. As soon as they could, they returned to Germany and settled in Dresden. In 1869, he was recruited by Francisco Fernández Rodella, Chile's Consul General in Paris, to become Director of the Academy of Painting (Santiago, Chile), succeeding its founder, the Italian-born artist

Alejandro Ciccarelli Alejandro Ciccarelli Manzoni, originally Alessandro Ciccarelli (25 January 1811, Naples - 5 May 1879, Santiago) was an Italian-born Chilean painter and educator. He was the first Director of the Academy of Painting in Santiago, Chile. Biography ...

, who had retired. He proved to be a controversial teacher. Some of his students, such as Onofre Jarpa and Antonio Smith, preferred him to Ciccarelli and considered him to be progressive. Another of his students, the history painter

Pedro Lira Pedro Francisco Lira Rencoret (17 May 1845, Santiago – 20 April 1912, Santiago) was a Chilean painter and art critic, who organized exhibitions that led to the establishment of the Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts. He is best known for h ...

, would later write that he was good at drawing, but noticeably deficient at painting, and prone to fits of anger. His teaching methods were sometimes said to be very rigid, and that his students were given little freedom; but the same criticisms had been directed at his predecessor. Regardless of these opinions, it is a fact that, during his administration, only two students,

Cosme San Martín Cosme San Martín Lagunas (27 September 1849/1850, Valparaíso – 1 April 1906, Santiago) was a Chilean painter and the first Chilean-born Director of the Academy of Painting (Santiago, Chile).

and Pedro León Carmona (1853-1899), were able to qualify for scholarships to study in Europe. He did have a passion for the art of the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, and little respect for contemporary trends, which may have been a factor. In addition to his work at the Academia, he designed a ceiling for the Municipal Theater, which was being rebuilt after a fire, and painted portraits of two Chilean presidents. While there, his third son was born; Maximus Paul Ferdinand (1872-1927), who became a musician and music teacher. He was in poor health when his contract expired in 1875, so he returned to Germany and was succeeded by a painter of Italian origin,

Juan Mochi Juan Mochi or, in Italian, Giovanni Mochi (1831, in Florence – 1892, in Santiago) was an Italian painter who spent sixteen years as a Professor in Chile and influenced the artists who came to be known as the Great Chilean Masters. Biography ...

. He died the following year, aged only forty-five.

Sources

* Pedro Lira, ''Diccionario biográfico de pintores'', Esmeralda, Santiago de Chile, 1902, p. 511
Online
*
Biografía Ernesto Kirchbach
@ the

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Santiago de Chile) The Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts ( es, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes or ), located in Santiago, Chile, is one of the major centers for Chilean art and for broader South American art. Established in 1880 (making it the oldest in South Am ...

Ernesto Kirchberg
@ Portal de Arte

External links

Notes about the ceiling at the Municipal Theater
@ Municipal de Santiago {{DEFAULTSORT:Kirchbach, Ernst 1831 births 1876 deaths 19th-century German painters 19th-century German male artists Decorative arts Dresden Academy of Fine Arts German emigrants to Chile People from Meissen Academy of Painting (Santiago, Chile) faculty