Friedrich Müller (13 January 1749 – 23 April 1825),

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and

painter 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 ai ...

from the

Electoral Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate (german: Kurpfalz) or the Palatinate (), officially the Electorate of the Palatinate (), was a state that was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The electorate had its origins under the rulership of the Counts Palatine of ...

, is best known for his slightly sentimental prose

idyll An idyll (, ; from Greek , ''eidullion'', "short poem"; occasionally spelt ''idyl'' in American English) is a short poem, descriptive of rustic life, written in the style of Theocritus' short pastoral poems, the ''Idylls'' (Εἰδύλλια). U ...

s on country life. Usually known as Maler Müller (i.e.

Painter 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 ai ...

Müller).

Early life and education

Müller was born in

Kreuznach Bad Kreuznach () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a spa town, most well known for its medieval bridge dating from around 1300, the Alte Nahebrücke, which is one of the few remaining bridges in th ...

. He showed a talent for art in his youth, and studied painting at

Zweibrücken Zweibrücken (; french: Deux-Ponts, ; Palatinate German: ''Zweebrigge'', ; literally translated as "Two Bridges") is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Schwarzbach river. Name The name ''Zweibrücken'' means 'two bridges'; olde ...

, where his personality and varied endowments won him the favor of court circles. At 18, he published several collections of etchings which attracted much attention with their originality. In 1774-1775, he settled in

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...

, where he soon acquired a reputation as a poet. In 1777 he was appointed court painter.

Painting

In 1778 he was enabled by a public subscription to visit

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 ...

, which remained his home for the rest of his life. In 1780 he became a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

. He was unfavourably influenced by the study of Italian models, and gradually became estranged from painting through failures and distress. He devoted himself instead to the study of the history of art. He became a sort of ambulant antiquary, and his services as

cicerone Cicerone ( ) is an old term for a guide who conducts visitors and sightseers to museums, galleries, etc., and explains matters of archaeological, antiquarian, historic or artistic interest. The word is presumably taken from Marcus Tullius Cicero, ...

were especially in demand among German visitors to

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 ...

Literature

Before he left Mannheim, he had tried his hand at

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

, under the influence of the

Sturm und Drang ''Sturm und Drang'' (, ; usually translated as "storm and stress") was a proto- Romantic movement in German literature and music that occurred between the late 1760s and early 1780s. Within the movement, individual subjectivity and, in particul ...

movement. In 1775, he published several

s: ''Satyr Mopsus'', ''Der Faun'', ''Bacchidon und Milon'', ''Der erschlagene Abel'' and ''Die Schafschur''. In form and content, these were closely modeled on the works of

Solomon Gessner Salomon Gessner (1730–1788) was a Swiss painter, graphic artist, government official, newspaper publisher and poet; best known in the latter instance for his ''Idylls''. Biography His father, Hans Konrad Gessner (1696–1775), was a printer, ...

. In 1778 came ''Adam's First Awaking and First Happy Nights'' (''Adams erstes Erwachen''; 2nd revised edition, 1779). A lyric drama of the same year, ''Niobe'' (1778), attracted little attention, but ''Faust's Leben dramatisiert'' (''Faust's Life Dramatized'') (1778) appealed to the turbulent spirit of the time, and ''Golo und Genoveva'' (begun in 1776, but not published until 1801) was an excellent imitation of

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 ...

's ''

Götz von Berlichingen Gottfried "Götz" von Berlichingen (1480 – 23 July 1562), also known as Götz of the Iron Hand, was a German (Franconian) Imperial Knight (''Reichsritter''), mercenary, and poet. He was born around 1480 into the noble family of Berliching ...

''. In his idylls, notably ''Die Schafschur'' and ''Das Nusskernen'' (1811), he struck out a more independent path. In these, emancipating himself from the artificiality of Gessner, he realistically reproduced scenes from the German peasant life of his day, not without a touch of

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

. His later idylls took

Voss Voss () is a municipality and a traditional district in Vestland county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen. Other villages include Bolstadøyri, Borstrondi, Evanger, Kvitheim, Mjølfjell, Opphe ...

as a model. Maler Müller's ''Werke'' appeared in 3 vols. (1811–1825); in 1868 H. Hettner published two volumes of ''Dichtungen von Maler Müller'', which contain most of his writings. ''Gedichte von Maler Friedrich Müller; eine Nachlese zu dessen Werken'' appeared in 1873, and his ''Fausts Leben'' was reprinted by B. Seuffert in 1881.

Later years

Through the patronage of the Crown Prince of Bavaria (afterwards King Louis I), he was enabled to pass his declining years in comparative ease. He died in Rome in 1825.

Notes

References

* * * Attribution: *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Muller, Maler 1749 births 1825 deaths People from Bad Kreuznach People from the Electoral Palatinate German Roman Catholics 18th-century German painters 18th-century German male artists German male painters 19th-century German painters 19th-century German male artists 18th-century German poets German male poets 19th-century German poets 19th-century German male writers 19th-century German writers 18th-century German male writers