Franz Albert Bischoff (January 14, 1864 – February 5, 1929) was an American

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

known primarily for his

China painting China painting, or porcelain painting, is the decoration of glazed porcelain objects such as plates, bowls, vases or statues. The body of the object may be hard-paste porcelain, developed in China in the 7th or 8th century, or soft-paste porce ...

, floral paintings and California landscapes. He was born in Steinschönau,

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

(now known as

Kamenický Šenov Kamenický Šenov (german: Steinschönau) is a town in Česká Lípa District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,900 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

). He immigrated to the United States as a teenager where he became a naturalized citizen. While in Europe, his early training was focused upon applied design, watercolor and ceramic decorations. Bischoff1PALMCANYON

California years

After arriving in the United States, Bischoff worked in New York,

Fostoria, Ohio Fostoria (, ) is a city located at the convergence of Hancock, Seneca, and Wood counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is approximately south of Toledo and north of Columbus. The city is known for its railroads, as app ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, and

Dearborn, Michigan Dearborn is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 109,976. Dearborn is the seventh most-populated city in Michigan and is home to the largest Muslim population in the United States pe ...

. While in Detroit and Dearborn, he gained success as a

porcelain painter China painting, or porcelain painting, is the decoration of glazed porcelain objects such as plates, bowls, vases or statues. The body of the object may be hard-paste porcelain, developed in China in the 7th or 8th century, or soft-paste porcel ...

, and as a teacher of the techniques, as well as a manufacturer of

ceramic glaze Ceramic glaze is an impervious layer or coating of a vitreous substance which has been fused to a pottery body through firing. Glaze can serve to color, decorate or waterproof an item. Glazing renders earthenware vessels suitable for holding ...

s as well as a teacher of

watercolor painting Watercolor (American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the U ...

. Franz Bischoff decided to visit California in 1900 and ultimately chose to settle in the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

area in 1906. Shortly after arriving, he started making arrangements to design and build a large Italian Renaissance style home in

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

that also became his studio. This landmark home was completed in 1908. Bischoff was one of the earliest members of the

California Art Club The California Art Club (CAC) is one of the oldest and most active arts organizations in California. Founded in December 1909, it celebrated its centennial in 2009 and into the spring of 2010. The California Art Club originally evolved out of The ...

, and the group's second meeting was held at his studio on February 5, 1910. Also present at that meeting were

Carl Oscar Borg Carl Oscar (or Oskar) Borg (March 3, 1879 – May 8, 1947) was a Swedish-born painter who settled in the United States and became known for views of California and the SouthWest. Biography Carl Oscar Borg was born into a poor family in Grinstad ...

and

William Wendt William Wendt (February 20, 1865, Bentzen, Kingdom of Prussia – December 29, 1946, Laguna Beach) was a German-born American landscape painter. He was called the "Dean of Southern California landscape painters." *Bronze Medal, Buffalo Expositi ...

. Inspired by the California countryside, Bischoff attempted to capture the area's brilliant light and diverse landscapes. Spending less time with ceramic painting following the start of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Bischoff took up canvas painting. He painted local farms, fishing wharfs, coastal landscapes and scenes of the Sierra Nevada and the mountains of

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, including

Zion National Park Zion National Park is an American national park located in southwestern Utah near the town of Springdale. Located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert regions, the park has a unique geography and a variety ...

. Recognized during his career for use of color and vivid composition, his paintings always displayed reverence for nature. One critic commented that some of his later works flirted with

Expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

and his use of colors were reminiscent of

Fauvism Fauvism /ˈfoʊvɪzm̩/ is the style of ''les Fauves'' (French language, French for "the wild beasts"), a group of early 20th-century modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong colour over the Representation (arts), repr ...

. Franz Bischoff died of heart failure at home in his adopted city of

South Pasadena, California South Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 25,619, up from 24,292 at the 2000 census. It is located in the West San Gabriel Valley. It ...

, on February 5, 1929.

Selected paintings

File:Arroyo Seco, Pasadena, by Franz Bischoff.jpg, Franz Bischoff "Arroyo Seco, Pasadena" File:Glimpse of the Sea, by Franz Bischoff.jpg, Franz Bischoff "Glimpse of the Sea File:Franz Bischoff "Arroyo Seco".jpg, Franz Bischoff "Arroyo Seco" 18" x 24" Steven Stern Collection File:Franz A. Bischoff - Zion Park.jpg,

File:Franz Bischoff - Aroyo Seco Bridge 1912.jpg, Arroyo Seco Bridge File:'Cholla near Palm Springs, California' by Franz Arthur Bischoff.jpg, Cholla near

Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land ...

Awards

* Huntington Prize,

, 1924

Exhibitions

*Nov. 21,2010 - Mar 20, 2011: ''Gardens and Grandeur: Porcelains and Paintings by Franz A. Bischoff'', Pasadena Museum of California Art BischoffMRS

Galleries & public collections

Franz Bischoff Gallery of Art
* Laguna Beach Museum of Art, Laguna Beach, California * Irvine Museum, Irvine, California * Gardena High School, Gardena, California * The Oakland Museum, California * Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California * William A. Karges Fine Art

External links

Franz Bischoff Artist and Gallery web site

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bischoff, Franz 1864 births 1929 deaths People from Kamenický Šenov People from the Kingdom of Bohemia German Bohemian people Austro-Hungarian emigrants to the United States American people of German Bohemian descent 19th-century American painters American male painters 20th-century American painters American landscape painters 19th-century American male artists 20th-century American male artists