Gustav Carl Ludwig Richter (3 August 1823,

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– 3 April 1884, Berlin) was a

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figure and portrait painter.

Biography

Born in

, Richter began his studies at the academy there under Eduard Holbein, then was a pupil of Cogniet in

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, and studied in

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until 1849. From 1850 to 1852, accompanied by Gustav Heidenreich and Robert Müller, he painted decorative frescos depicting Norse gods above doorways in the Vaterländischen Saal of the

Neues Museum The Neues Museum (English: ''New Museum'') is a listed building on the Museum Island in the historic centre of Berlin. Built from 1843 to 1855 by order of King Frederick William IV of Prussia in Neoclassical and Renaissance Revival styles, it ...

in Berlin. The technical qualities of his "Raising of Jairus's Daughter" (1856, National Gallery, Berlin), painted for

King Frederick William IV Frederick William IV (german: Friedrich Wilhelm IV.; 15 October 17952 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, reigned as King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 to his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to ...

, aroused great enthusiasm on its exhibition, but both this and a large oil painting "Building of the Pyramids" (1859–72),

Maximilianeum The Maximilianeum, a palatial building in Munich, was built as the home of a gifted students' foundation but since 1949 has housed the Bavarian State Parliament. It sits grandly and as a focal point on the bank of the Isar River above Maximilian ...

, Munich), ordered by the King of Bavaria, suffer from theatrical pathos. Recognizing the limitations of his talent, Richter confined himself thereafter to single figures and portraiture, in which he was more successful. The first of a series of aristocratic beauties was that of Princess Carolath (1872). Of several family groups, reflecting the artist's own domestic happiness, two called "Evviva!", the painter with his first-born, and "Maternal Happiness," the painter's wife (youngest daughter of Meyerbeer) with their second son, were among the gems of the exhibition in 1874. His maturest works combine thorough characterization with real pictorial qualities. Fine examples are: "Banker's Wife" (1876), "Countess Karolyi" (1878), and, best of all, the well-known ideal portrait of Queen Louise (1879, Cologne Museum). Mention should be made also of the portraits of

Emperor William I William I or Wilhelm I (german: Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; 22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888) was King of Prussia from 2 January 1861 and German Emperor from 18 January 1871 until his death in 1888. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was the f ...

(1876, 1877), Empress Augusta (1878), and General Count von Blumenthal (1883, unfinished, National Gallery, Berlin) and the wildly popular "Neapolitan Fisher Boy" (c. 1873).

References

External links

Aus dem Sagenkreis der Edda in the Neues Museum, Berlin.
1823 births 1884 deaths German artists Artists from Berlin Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class) Painters from the Kingdom of Prussia {{Germany-artist-stub