Heinrich Johann von Zügel (22 October 1850,

Murrhardt Murrhardt is a town in the Rems-Murr district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located 12 km east of Backnang, and 18 km southwest of Schwäbisch Hall. The source of the Murr is situated in Murrhardt. Local council (Gemeinder ...

– 30 January 1941,

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 ...

)Biography of Heinrich von Zügel on the Murrhardt website
/ref> was a German painter who specialized in pictures of farm and domestic animals, often posed with a human in a dramatic or humorous situation.

Life

Beginning in 1867, Zügel was a student at the art school in Stuttgart under

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, where he studied animal and

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 ...

painting. Two years later, he transferred to the

Academy of Fine Arts Munich 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, ...

, but was not inspired by the teaching methods of

Karl von Piloty Karl Theodor von Piloty (1 October 1826 – 21 July 1886) was a German painter, noted for his historical subjects, and recognised as the foremost representative of the realistic school in Germany. Life and work Piloty was born in Munich. His fat ...

and decided to work independently.Ketterer Kunst: Biography
/ref> Afterwards, he spent some time in Vienna and finally settled in Munich.

Anton Braith Anton Braith (2 September 1836 – 3 January 1905) was a German landscape and animal painter. He was also a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich Life Braith was born in Biberach an der Riß. His father was a day-laborer who later beca ...

became an important mentor for him there. In the early 1880s, he was attracted to the rural scenery in the Dachau District and began to paint outdoors, placing his subjects in a broader landscape setting. Studies undertaken along the Dutch and Belgian coastline in the early 1890s confirmed his attraction to

Impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating ...

, which he had encountered at exhibitions in Paris. From that point on, atmospheric reflections and the play of light and shadow were his primary concerns, while details were subordinated. This led him to become one of the founding members of the

Munich Secession The Munich Secession was an association of visual artists who broke away from the mainstream Munich Artists' Association in 1892, to promote and defend their art in the face of what they considered official paternalism and its conservative polic ...

. He spent over forty years on a theme he called "Heavy Work" (mostly portrayals of horses and oxen plowing) and produced over 24 canvases, which give a detailed picture of his artistic development. He continued to paint in a light, impressionistic style until he was in his eighties. In 1895, he became a Professor at the

, a position he retained until his retirement in 1922.

Christian Schad Christian Schad (21 August 189425 February 1982) was a German painter and photographer. He was associated with the Dada and the New Objectivity movements. Considered as a group, Schad's portraits form an extraordinary record of life in Vienna a ...

Maximilian Liebenwein Maximilian Albert Josef Liebenwein (11 April 1869 – 17 July 1926) was an Austrian-German painter, graphic artist and book illustrator, in the Impressionist and Art Nouveau styles. He spent significant time in Vienna, Munich and Burghausen, A ...

and

Wilhelm Stumpf Wilhelm Ludwig Ferdinand Stumpf (30 March 1873, in Weimar – 27 August 1926, in Oberstaufen) was a German landscape/portrait painter and illustrator. Life He was the son of a businessman, Gustav Stumpf (1842–1914). From 1884 to 1889, he att ...

were among his best-known students. One of his last 'Meisterschüler" was Heinz Theis (1894–1966). In

Wörth am Rhein Wörth am Rhein () is a town in the southernmost part of the district of Germersheim, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is on the left bank of the Rhine approximately 10 km west of the city centre of Karlsruhe and is just north of the Ger ...

, there is a Memorial Gallery dedicated to his works at the Old City Hall. He spent many summers there, on vacation or with his students. The city benefitted greatly from the modelling fees and the rentals he paid to use their animals, as well as the money his students spent on food and lodging. His works are also on display at the

National Gallery (Berlin) The National Gallery (german: Nationalgalerie) in Berlin, Germany, is a museum for art of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. It is part of the Berlin State Museums. From the Alte Nationalgalerie, which was built for it and opened in 1876, its exh ...

Major works

* "Das Ochsengespann" (The Ox Team), "Self-portrait" and "View of Murrhardt"" (Municipal Gallery, Murrhardt) * "Die vor dem Gewitter flüchtende Herde" (Herd Fleeing Before the Storm) * "Schafe im Erlenhain" (Sheep in the Aldergrove, National Gallery (Berlin)) * "Ochsen am Pflug" (Oxen to the Plow, Old City Hall, Wörth am Rhein) * "Frühlingssonne und Herbstsonne" (Spring and Autumn Sunshine)

References

Sources and further reading

* ''Der Tiermaler Heinrich v. Zügel 90 Jahre alt''. In: ''Schwaben, Monatshefte für Volkstum und Kultur'', Jg. 1940, Heft 9/10, S. 441–448 * Wilhelm Steigelmann (Ed.): ''Heinrich von Zügel und die Wörther Malerschule.'' Kaußler, Landau o. J. (1957) * Eugen Diem: ''Heinrich von Zügel, Leben. Schaffen. Werk'' (Werkverzeichnis), Verlag Aurel Bongers Recklinghausen 1975, * Eugen Diem: ''Heinrich von Zügel und seine Zeit'' (u.a. Ergänzung des Werkverzeichnisses), Verlag Aurel Bongers Recklinghausen 1986, * * Elisabeth Feilen: ''Heinrich von Zügel und das Malerdorf Wörth am Rhein (1894-1920)'', Saarbrücken 1993 (Dissertation) * * Elisabeth Feilen: ''Länderporträt Bayern, Heinrich von Zügel'', in ''Arsprototo'', Ausgabe

* Ingrid Helber, Heide von Berlepsch: ''Schwäbischer Impressionismus im Umfeld von Heinrich von Zügel.'' Stadt Murrhardt 2011,

External links

* *
Decoridee: A selection of his paintings

Objective Artist: Four more pages of paintings
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zugel, Heinrich von 1850 births 1941 deaths People from Rems-Murr-Kreis People from the Kingdom of Württemberg German Impressionist painters