Joseph Fay (6 August 1812,

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

- 27 July 1875,

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

) was a German painter and illustrator; associated with the Düsseldorfer Malerschule.

Life and work

From 1833 to 1844, he studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf; initially with

Karl Ferdinand Sohn Karl Ferdinand Sohn (10 December 1805 in Berlin – 25 November 1867 in Cologne) was a German painter of the Düsseldorf school of painting. Biography He was born in Berlin and started his studies at the age of eighteen under Wilhelm von Schad ...

. From 1841 to 1842, he attended the master classes taught by Friedrich Wilhelm von Schadow. In 1840, together with Lorenz Clasen, Heinrich Mücke and

Hermann Plüddemann Hermann Friedhold Plüddemann (17 July 1809, Kolberg - 24 June 1868, Dresden) was a German history painter and illustrator. Life and work His father was a prosperous merchant and shipowner. He initially studied with Carl Sieg in Magdeburg then ...

, he won a competition sponsored by the , to create a

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 ...

depicting the early history of the Germans, up to the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, at the . This fresco, executed in 1843, proved to be his artistic breakthrough and received praise from the poet, Wolfgang Müller von Königswinter. It was destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He went to Paris in 1844, where he studied

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 ...

with

Paul Delaroche Hippolyte-Paul Delaroche (17 July 1797 – 4 November 1856) was a French painter who achieved his greater successes painting historical scenes. He became famous in Europe for his melodramatic depictions that often portrayed subjects from English ...

. After returning to Düsseldorf, he produced no major works. In 1848, he became one of the co-founders of the progressive artists' association " Malkasten" (Paintbox). After the

revolution of 1848 The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...

, he focused on simple genre scenes and works inspired by literature, including a melodramatic episode from '' Faust'' by

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as treat ...

. Many of his paintings featured Italian motifs, and he became a regular visitor to Italy. The background landscapes in his works were often painted by

August Weber Johann Baptist Wilhelm August Weber (10 January 1817, in Frankfurt am Main – 11 September 1873, in Düsseldorf) was a German painter; associated with the Düsseldorfer Malerschule. Life and work He began studying landscape painting in his ...

. He occasionally worked as an

interior designer Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordina ...

, and took a few private students; notably

Karl Ferdinand Wimar Karl Ferdinand Wimar (also known as Charles Wimar and Carl Wimar; 20 February 1828 – 28 November 1862), was a German-American painter who concentrated on Native Americans in the West and the great herds of buffalo. He is known for an early ...

His wife, Marie, was the daughter of , a publisher and printer whose brothers,

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Albert ...

and were also painters. Their son was the animal painter, .

Sources

*
''Fay, Joseph''
In: Friedrich von Boetticher: ''Malerwerke des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts. Beitrag zur Kunstgeschichte''. Vol.I, Dresden 1895, pg. 288 f. * Lisa Hackmann: "Fay (Fey), Joseph (Josef)" In: Bénédicte Savoy (Ed.): ''Pariser Lehrjahre. Ein Lexikon zur Ausbildung deutscher Maler in der französischen Hauptstadt. Vol.2: 1844–1870'', De Gruyter, 2015

External links

* Illustrations from ''Märchen und Sagen für Jung und Alt.'', Düsseldorf: Arnz & Co., 1857 @ the Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Düsseldorf.
Vol.1
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Vol.2

biography @ Old Master Drawings {{DEFAULTSORT:Fay, Joseph 1813 births 1875 deaths 19th-century German painters 19th-century German male artists German male painters Artists from Cologne Kunstakademie Düsseldorf alumni