Henrik Wéber known as Henrik Weber (24 May 1818, in Pest – 14 May 1866, in Pest) was a Hungarian portrait and history painter in the Realism movement. He is considered as one of the most important Hungarian painters of the Biedermeier period. Henrik Weber was as an excellent portrait painter of his time and a significant figure in Hungarian

history painting History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and Bible ...

. Accordingly, he was one of the members of artists working on the creation of national art in the 1830s and 1840s. His most successful paintings are ''the death of

John Hunyadi John Hunyadi (, , , ; 1406 – 11 August 1456) was a leading Hungarian military and political figure in Central and Southeastern Europe during the 15th century. According to most contemporary sources, he was the member of a noble family of ...

'', ''the King

Matthias Matthias is a name derived from the Greek Ματθαίος, in origin similar to Matthew. People Notable people named Matthias include the following: In religion: * Saint Matthias, chosen as an apostle in Acts 1:21–26 to replace Judas Iscariot * ...

and Ilonka Szép'', and ''the King

Solomon Solomon (; , ),, ; ar, سُلَيْمَان, ', , ; el, Σολομών, ; la, Salomon also called Jedidiah (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , Modern Hebrew, Modern: , Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yăḏīḏăyāh'', "beloved of Yahweh, Yah"), ...

in prison''. He had a great influence on his contemporaries, and his students included

Károly Lotz Lotz Károly Antal Pál, or Karl Anton Paul Lotz (16 December 1833 – 13 October 1904) was a German- Hungarian painter. Career Karl Lotz was born in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany, the 7th and youngest surviving child of Wilhelm Chr ...

. In the 1860s, he made lithographs presenting Hungarian historical events for the journal “Az Ország Tükre”. The

Hungarian National Gallery The Hungarian National Gallery (also known as Magyar Nemzeti Galéria), was established in 1957 as the national art museum. It is located in Buda Castle in Budapest, Hungary. Its collections cover Hungarian art in all genres, including the works ...

preserves several paintings and drawings of this master of the

Biedermeier The ''Biedermeier'' period was an era in Central Europe between 1815 and 1848 during which the middle class grew in number and the arts appealed to common sensibilities. It began with the Congress of Vienna at the end of the Napoleonic Wars in ...

painting.

Early life

Henrik Weber was born in Pest,

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

. His father, Mihaly Wéber, immigrated to Hungary from abroad and soon became a respected merchant. Wishing at all costs that his son would become a

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts Scientific method, scientific research to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, ...

, he not only did his best to train his son, but also required him to spend all his free time with books. Although the young Weber was eager to study, he preferred

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

and

drawing Drawing is a form of visual art in which an artist uses instruments to mark paper or other two-dimensional surface. Drawing instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, various kinds of paints, inked brushes, colored pencils, crayons, ...

much more and pondering on his picture books for hours. His books were filled with all sorts of magnificent figures he drew. His father once noticed this and surprised him with a master of drawing, a local artist named János Tóbiás Kaergling (1780-1845). Under whose leadership he soon made such great progress that both his teachers and colleagues encouraged him to a painter career with the best of hopes.

Austrian period

After graduating from high school in 1834, he enrolled at the

Vienna Academy of Fine Arts The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna (german: link=no, Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien) is a public art school in Vienna, Austria. History The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna was founded in 1692 as a private academy modelled on the Accademia di Sa ...

in 1835. Here, in addition to his studies, he taught art lessons, taught

and worked as

lithographer Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

to provide for his basic necessities of life. In particular, he was the student of

Johann Ender Johann Nepomuk Ender (3 November 1793 Vienna – 16 March 1854 Vienna) was an Austrian portrait painter and engraver. Biography He spent several years studying at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, where he had his debut with his canvas depictin ...

and

Leopold Kupelwieser Leopold Kupelwieser (17 October 1796, Markt Piesting – 17 November 1862, Vienna) was an Austrian painter, often associated with the Nazarene movement. Life He was the son of Johann Baptist Georg Kilian Kupelwieser (1760–1813), co-owner of a ...

,Magyar Életrajzi Lexikonban
Brief biography. who taught the history of

aesthetics Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed thr ...

. Under their influence, he rejected the prevailing

Academicism Academic art, or academicism or academism, is a style of painting and sculpture produced under the influence of European academies of art. Specifically, academic art is the art and artists influenced by the standards of the French Académie ...

and embraced

Realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

. But also, through his great diligence as well as his talent, he soon became one of the most outstanding students of the institute. This is best demonstrated by the Academy’s laudatory diplomas and the Gundel-Preis awarded in 1837, which rewarded him as the most deserving. In 1838 he took part in the exhibition "Der Fischerknabe" and "Toilette einer Braut" at the

Academy of Fine Arts Vienna The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna (german: link=no, Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien) is a public art school in Vienna, Austria. History The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna was founded in 1692 as a private academy modelled on the Accademia di Sa ...

in Vienna with his genre paintings "Palmsonntag" in the year of his return.

German period

When he returned to Hungary in 1839, he was already recognized as an artist who had exhibited abroad. But Weber's ambitions were not satisfied by his orders. Not being a portrait painter, so that, displeased with the rudimentary artistic relations, he soon traveled abroad. Already in 1840, we find it in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

, in the company of the greatest artists of his time, Kaulbach, Cornelius, Genelli,

Hess Hess or Heß may refer to: * Hess (surname), also ''Heß'' in German, people with the surname Hess * Hess, Oklahoma, a community in the United States * Hess Educational Organization, the largest private provider of English instruction in the Repub ...

and others. He became a student at the

Munich Academy of Fine Arts The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (german: Akademie der Bildenden Künste München, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavaria, ...

, where he graduated in 1842. He also interrupted this stay in

twice, in 1841 and 1842, during which time he visited

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

for landscape studies.

Italian period

Then in 1845, he went on an artistic tour again through

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

until 1847. He visited

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

where he found a great inspiration. During this trip, he spent his time in the company of

Carl Rahl Carl Rahl, sometimes spelled Karl Rahl (13 August 1812 – 9 July 1865), was an Austrian painter. Life Rahl was born in Vienna to Carl Heinrich Rahl (1779–1843), an engraver. He attended the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and won a prize at ...

Eugene de Blaas Eugene de Blaas, also known as Eugene von Blaas or Eugenio Blaas (24 July 1843 – 10 February 1931), was an Italian painter in the school known as Academic art, Academic Classicism. Life and career He was born at Albano Laziale, Albano, ...

, Louis Mayer, copying the works of the greatest masters like

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

. Henrik Weber painted many Italian

landscapes A landscape is the visible features of an area of Terrestrial ecoregion, land, its landforms, and how they integrate with Nature, natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionar ...

and female figures dressed in Italian folk costumes. It was here that he became acquainted with

Michelangelo Grigoletti Girolamo Michelangelo Grigoletti (29 August 1801 – 11 February 1870) was an Italian painter, active in a Neoclassical style. Biography Born at Pordenone to a humble family, he was encouraged by an uncle priest who arranged for him to enrol ...

, among the newer Italians, who had a deeper influence on his art. Also, during this stay in Rome, the ''Invasion of

King Matthias Matthias Corvinus, also called Matthias I ( hu, Hunyadi Mátyás, ro, Matia/Matei Corvin, hr, Matija/Matijaš Korvin, sk, Matej Korvín, cz, Matyáš Korvín; ), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490. After conducting several mi ...

Buda Buda (; german: Ofen, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Budim, Будим, Czech and sk, Budín, tr, Budin) was the historic capital of the Kingdom of Hungary and since 1873 has been the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest, on the ...

in 1458'' was completed. An historical image published as a work sheet by the "Képzőművészeti Társulat" as a membership fee until 1855.

Return to Hungary and later career

Henrik-weber-a-menyasszony-calderoni-anna-1858

After returning home from

, Weber settled permanently in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

, where he received orders for many portraits and other works from well-known families and personalities. So, he was no longer forced to travel abroad. In 1858 he married Anna Calderoni, his last wife. In the 1860s, he made several lithographs presenting the history of the

Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was part ...

, the

Árpád dynasty The Árpád dynasty, consisted of the members of the royal House of Árpád (), also known as Árpáds ( hu, Árpádok, hr, Arpadovići). They were the ruling dynasty of the Principality of Hungary in the 9th and 10th centuries and of the Kingd ...

and the

Hunyadi family The Hunyadi family was one of the most powerful Hungarian nobility, noble families in the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th century. A member of the family, Matthias Corvinus, was King of Hungary from 1458 until 1490, King of Bohemia (ruli ...

for the journal “Az Ország Tükre”. In the midst of success, he became ill in the 1860s and died in Pest on May 14, 1866 at the age of 47.

Legacy

The influence of Viennese

portrait and life painting, which preserves the values of the family-centered civic mentality, on family portraits (''The Weber Family'', 1846, Budapest Gallery; ''composer

Mihály Mosonyi Mihály Mosonyi (4 September 1815 in Boldogasszony, Austria-Hungary – 31 October 1870 in Budapest) was a Hungarian composer. Born Michael Brand, he changed his name to ''Mosonyi'' in honor of the district of Moson (where his place of birt ...

and his wife'', Hungarian National Gallery) and on his life paintings (''The Children's Room'', 1840). In most of his historical compositions he worked on events related to the

(''death of

'', 1844; ''invasion of King

'', 1853, Hungarian National Museum). The painting depicting the gallant adventure of (''King

and the beautiful shepherdess in

'', 1845, private property) is an outstanding domestic work of the historical genre painting. His ''Hungaria'', painted in the early 1840s, symbolized the self-consciousness of a glorious past and the hope of a prosperous, peaceful future. In the 1860s, he made lithographs (''Béla's answer between crown and sword'', 1862) presenting the history of the

, the

and the

for the journal “Az Ország tükre”.

Gallery

File:Weber Henrik Weber család.jpg, ''The Weber Family'' (1846) File:Henrik Weber - Romantic Scene - WGA25504.jpg, ''Romantic Scene'' (1851) File:Hungaria_Henrik_Weber.jpg, ''Hungaria'' (1840s) File:Salamon_király_a_börtönben_Henrik_Weber.jpg, ''

King Solomon King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

in Prison'' (1847) File:Tyroler Batthyany kormany.jpg, ''

Batthyány The House of Batthyány () is the name of an ancient and distinguished Hungarian Magnate family. Members of this family bear the title Count/Countess ( Graf/Gräfin) Batthyány von Német-Ujvar respectively, while the title of Prince (Fürst) vo ...

Government'' (1848) File:Mosonyi_Mihály_zeneszerző_és_felesége_Henrik_Weber.jpg, ''Composer

and his Wife'' (1840) File:Pesti_polgár_Henrik_Weber.jpg, ''Pesti polgár'' (1840s) File:Weber Greek Woman c. 1844.jpg, ''Greek Woman'' (1844) File:Ferdinand-v-on-the-coronation-hill-1858.jpg, ''

Ferdinand V Ferdinand V is the name of: * Ferdinand II of Aragon, Ferdinand V of Castile, ''the Catholic'' king of Castile, Aragon and Naples *Ferdinand I of Austria en, Ferdinand Charles Leopold Joseph Francis Marcelin , image = Kaiser Ferdinand I.j ...

on the coronation hill'' (1858) File:King-Matej-arrival-in-Buda-color.jpg, ''King

' arrival in

'' (1846) File:La belle ferroniere henrik weber leonardo da vinci.jpg, ''La Belle Ferronière'' of

(1830s) File:Nyugvó_oroszlán_Henrik_Weber.jpg, ''Resting Lions'' (1852) File:Női_arckép_Henrik_Weber.jpg, ''Female portrait'' (1850s)

Citations

“'' Istvan Ferenczy, Henrik Weber, Karoly Marko and Miklos Izso left us emblematic representations of the 19th century image of the nation. Along with them, they conferred the task of inquiring into a deeper historical understanding of the works and their ideas. If these represent an enduring self-image, then we are also charged with the task of reinterpreting them from time to time. From a National Imagination to an Image-creating Nation: Ideas about the Origins of Hungarian Art.''” - Erzsébet Király from the book ''Art and Nation: Image and Self-Image'' (p. 138).

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weber, Henrik 1818 births 1866 deaths Portrait painters Hungarian painters People from Pest, Hungary Realist painters History painters Biedermeier painters 19th-century Hungarian painters Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni Hungarian male painters 19th-century Hungarian male artists