Keller-friedrich-von-maler-1908-11-08-schwaebisches-bilderblatt-jg01-nr50-s08

Friedrich von Keller (18 February 1840,

Ludwigsburg Ludwigsburg (; Swabian: ''Ludisburg'') is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg district with about 88,000 inhabitants. It is ...

- 26 August 1914,

Abtsgmünd Abtsgmünd is a municipality in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, in Ostalbkreis district. Abtsgmünd is located at the confluence of two streams, the Lein and the Kocher. Famous locals include Patrick Benedict Zimmer who was born in the t ...

) was a German

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

painter.

Biography

He was the youngest of ten children born to Johann Jakob Keller, a vintner, who died when Friedrich was only nine. Thanks to the support of some patrons, he was able to study drawing at the local trade school. He earned his living as a general craftsman. At the age of eighteen, he went to

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

to attend the Royal Art School, but the tuition was too high, so he took drawing classes in the evening at the Polytechincal School. Finally, at the age of twenty-seven, he was awarded a royal scholarship of 125

Ducat The ducat () coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages from the 13th to 19th centuries. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained wi ...

s and was able to attend the art school, where he studied with

Bernhard von Neher Karl Josef Bernhard von Neher (16 January 1806, in Biberach an der Riß – 17 January 1886, in Stuttgart) was a German painter. Life and work Neher began to study painting in 1822 in Stuttgart, under Johann Heinrich von Dannecker und Philipp ...

and

Heinrich von Rustige Heinrich Franz Gaudenz von Rustige (12 April 1810 – 15 January 1900) was a German painter specializing in historical subjects and genres. Life and work From 1828, he was a student of Wilhelm von Schadow at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. Aft ...

. During his studies, he supported himself by painting

coats-of-arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its wh ...

and signs. In 1871, he moved to Munich and became a free-lance artist. He continued to improve his technique by working with Wilhelm von Lindenschmit at the Academy of Fine Arts. In 1872, he began a series of scenes depicting stonebreakers at work, which are his best known paintings. He married in 1876. He was appointed a professor of genre painting at the Royal Art School in 1883, succeeding Carl von Häberlin, who had resigned. His notable students there included Paula von Wächter,

Bernhard Buttersack Bernhard Buttersack (16 March 1858, Bad Liebenzell — 6 May 1925, Icking) was a German landscape painter of the Munich School. Life and work He displayed artistic talent at an early age, was encouraged by his parents and began his studies at t ...

, Maria Caspar-Filser, Adolf Fleischmann, Oskar Schlemmer, and

Rudolf Yelin Rudolf Yelin (14 August 1864, Reutlingen – 28 December 1940, Stuttgart) was a German painter; best remembered for his religious glass paintings. He is generally referred to as The Elder, to distinguish him from his son of the same name. Biogr ...

. In 1908, his twenty-fifth anniversary as a Professor was celebrated at the art school, which had become a State Academy. The following year, King

Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918. Despite strengthening the German Empir ...

presented him with the Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown. He retired in 1913.

Selected paintings

File:Keller-Puppet.jpg, A Puppet Maker in His Workshop File:Friedrich von Keller Straßenmusikant vor einem Wirtshaus 1880.jpg, Street Musician at a Tavern File:Friedrich von Keller Studien nach der Natur 1878.jpg, Studies from Nature File:Friedrich von Keller Steinbrecher mit Schubkarre 1913.jpg, Stonebreaker with Wheelbarrow File:Friedrich von Keller Steinbrucharbeiter.jpg, Stonebreakers with Boulders

Sources

* Max Diez: "Die heimische Schule Keller Haug Speyer Landenberger", In: Julius Baum, Max Diez (Ed.): ''Die Stuttgarter Kunst der Gegenwart'', Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart 1913, pp. 37 ff., 40–46
Online
* Thomas Maier, Bernd Müllerschön: ''Die Schwäbische Malerei um 1900. Die Stuttgarter Kunstschule/Akademie, Professoren und Maler; Geschichte – Geschichten – Lebensbilder''. Stuttgart 2000, pp. 77–81 * "Keller, Friedrich von". In: ''Verzeichnis der Gemäldegalerie im Kgl. Museum der bildenden Künste zu Stuttgart'', Das Museum, Stuttgart 1917, pg.42
Online
* Werner Fleischhauer: "Keller, Friedrich von". In: Hans Vollmer (Ed.): ''Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart'', Vol.20: Kaufmann–Knilling. E. A. Seemann, Leipzig 1927, pp. 100–101. *

External links

More works by Keller
@ ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Keller, Freidrich 19th-century German painters 19th-century German male artists German male painters 20th-century German painters 20th-century German male artists German landscape painters 1840 births 1914 deaths