Johann Baptist Ranger ( Croatian: ''Ivan Krstitelj Ranger'', Slovene: ''Janez Krstnik Ranger''; 1700–1753) was a

Tyrolese 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 ...

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

painter.

Career

Ranger was born in

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 ...

. He entered the Pauline

monastic order Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic life plays an important role ...

as a child. He started to paint very early and in its artistic workshops in northern Italy and southern Germany. Because the Paulist order paid particular attention to artistic and cultural activities within the order, he remained in

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

from his twenties until his death at Lepoglava, decorating sacral interiors and producing one of the most remarkable

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

opuses of Central European

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

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 ...

. His paintings were stylistically original

compositions Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature * Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...

. Ranger produced most of his opus in churches,

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

s, and monasteries, such as in the churches of

Assumption of Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it in 1950 in his apostolic constitution ''Munificentissimus Deus'' as follows: We proclaim and define it to be a dogma revealed by Go ...

's in Remete near

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

, in Lepoglava, in

St. George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

's in Purga, near Lepoglava, St. Helen's chapel in

Šenkovec Šenkovec ( hu, Szentilona) is a municipalities of Croatia, municipality in Međimurje County, Croatia, located just outside the county seat, Čakovec. The municipality includes two villages – Šenkovec and Knezovec. In the 2011 census, the tw ...

near Čakovec, also the church of St. Jerome in nearby hilly

Štrigova Štrigova (german: Stridau; hu, Stridóvár) is a village and municipality in Međimurje County, in northern Croatia. History Oldest archaeological finds in Štrigova municipality are from Roman period The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Ro ...

. The church of St. Jerome was the central site of the Order of Saint Paul the Hermit until the year 1786, when the order was abolished, causing the monasteries, churches and other premises to suffer great devastation. The order's treasures, such as books and other valuables, were scattered or destroyed, its activities left to be lost in time. Ranger's

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

es were preserved on arched ceilings and walls over the 250 years since their creation. Ranger had enormous importance and influence upon his disciples and followers in the many works painted later. These characteristics are the illusionist painting of

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

, the recognizable typology of saints' figures, the colourist features and the incorporation of large compositions onto the relatively small and low walls of the churches. The Pauline order painting school of workshop continued in that way its activity in north-western Croatia long after Ranger's time.

External links

Virtual exhibition of Johannes Baptista Ranger

Austrian painter Johann Baptist Ranger (1700-1753), Oxford Index
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ranger, Johann 1700 births 1753 deaths Baroque painters Austrian painters Austrian male painters Catholic painters People from Tyrol (state)

Career

Further reading

External links