Otto Friedrich Theodor von Möller, russified as Fyodor Antonovich Moller (Russian: Фёдор Антонович Моллер; 30 May 1812 – 2 August 1874) was a Russian Academic painter of

Baltic-German Baltic Germans (german: Deutsch-Balten or , later ) were Germans, ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their coerced resettlement in 1939, Baltic Germans have markedly ...

ancestry.

Biography

Born in Kronstadt,

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, he was the son of , also known as Anton Vasilievich Moller, a naval officer who later became Secretary of the Navy (1828–1836).Brief biography
@ Russian Paintings. At the age of five, he was enrolled at the cadet school, where he remained until he was 14, then served in the Semyonovsky Regiment. After being wounded in the Polish

November Uprising The November Uprising (1830–31), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in W ...

, he took up drawing during his convalescence and decided to attend classes at the

Imperial Academy of Fine Arts The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by the founder of the Imperial Moscow University Ivan Shuvalov under the name ''Academy of the Thre ...

.Brief biography
@ RusArtNet. Once there, he became a favorite student of Karl Briullov. He first exhibited in 1832 with a scene of the Battle of Ostrołęka. In 1835, he was awarded a gold medal for painting and resigned from the army. He received another gold medal in 1837. After graduating in 1838, he went to Italy to complete his studies. He continued to send paintings home and, in 1840, was named "Academician" for his work "The Kiss". While there, he also became a close friend of

Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...

and painted him several times, which portraits are among his best-known works. After a brief stay in Russia in 1847, he returned to Rome, where he met Johann Friedrich Overbeck and the Nazarene movement. His work in that style, "Sermon of the Apostle John on the Island of

Patmos Patmos ( el, Πάτμος, ) is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. It is famous as the location where John of Patmos received the visions found in the Book of Revelation of the New Testament, and where the book was written. One of the northernmos ...

", led to his becoming "Professor of Historical Painting" when he returned to Russia in 1856. That same year, he married Dorothea von Güldenstubbe, who was only sixteen. Back in Saint Petersburg, he devoted himself to teaching and managing a pension fund for artists at the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. His works include a series of paintings of

Alexander Nevsky Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (russian: Александр Ярославич Невский; ; 13 May 1221 – 14 November 1263) served as Prince of Novgorod (1236–40, 1241–56 and 1258–1259), Grand Prince of Kiev (1236–52) and Grand P ...

for the Grand Kremlin Palace and murals for

Saint Isaac's Cathedral Saint Isaac's Cathedral or Isaakievskiy Sobor (russian: Исаа́киевский Собо́р) is a large architectural landmark cathedral that currently functions as a museum with occasional church services in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is ...

. He was suddenly taken ill while working on the

Crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...

in the village of

Võnnu Võnnu is a small borough ( et, alevik) in Tartu County, in Kastre Parish Estonia. It is located about southeast of the city of Tartu. Võnnu has a population of 552 (2011). Võnnu was the administrative centre of Võnnu Parish. Võnnu vi ...

(Wendau). He died of pneumonia at the family estate on the island of Saaremaa.

Gallery

Moller Ioann.jpg, John's Sermon on Patmos Alexandr Nevskiy and papal legates by F.Moller.jpg, Alexandr Nevskiy and papal legates Assault of Kazan by Pugachev by Moller.jpg, Assault of Kazan by Pugachev Моллер Фёдор - Несение креста.jpg, Carrying the cross Kruglikov Chernyshev by Moller.jpg, Family of Ivan Kruglikov Моллер Фёдор - Спящая девушка.jpg, Sleeping girl Моллер Фёдор - Портрет мальчика А. А. Линдера.jpg, Portrait of a boy Моллер Фёдор - Портрет княгини Л. Т. Голициной.jpg, Portrait of Princess Louise Golitsyna N.Gogol by F.Moller (1840, Tretyakov gallery).jpg, Portrait of

Моллер Фёдор - Портрет художника Федора Антоновича Бруни.jpg, Portrait of Fyodor Bruni Моллер Фёдор - Невеста (Девушка с кольцом).jpg, Bride
(Girl with a ring)

References

External links

"An artist with wonderful talent and comfortable means"
by Lyudmila Markina, from the Tretyakov Gallery magazine.
Moller's portrait of Gogol
a transcribed interview from Echo of Moscow
Gogol's portrait
@ Portraits of Russian Writers {{DEFAULTSORT:Moller, Otto Friedrich Theodor von 1812 births 1874 deaths People from Kronstadt People from Petergofsky Uyezd Baltic-German people 19th-century painters from the Russian Empire Russian male painters Russian portrait painters Religious artists Muralists Deaths from pneumonia in Estonia 19th-century male artists from the Russian Empire