Philipp von Foltz (11 May 1805 – 5 August 1877) was a German
history painter
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 ...
.
Biography
He was born in
Bingen am Rhein
Bingen am Rhein () is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
The settlement's original name was Bingium, a Celtic word that may have meant "hole in the rock", a description of the shoal behind the ''Mäuseturm'', k ...
. His father, Ludwig, a painter of some note, gave him his first art lessons. In 1825, he went to Munich, where he was accepted at the
Academy of Fine Arts
The following is a list of notable art schools.
Accredited non-profit art and design colleges
* Adelaide Central School of Art
* Alberta College of Art and Design
* Art Academy of Cincinnati
* Art Center College of Design
* The Art Institute ...
and studied with
Peter von Cornelius
Peter von Cornelius (23 September 1783, Düsseldorf – 6 March 1867, Berlin) was a German painter; one of the main representatives of the Nazarene movement.
Life
Early years
Cornelius was born in Düsseldorf. From the age of twelve he attend ...
. Soon, he was allowed to assist Cornelius with his
frescoes at the
Glyptothek
The Glyptothek () is a museum in Munich, Germany, which was commissioned by the Bavarian King Ludwig I to house his collection of Greek and Roman sculptures (hence γλυπτο- ''glypto-'' "sculpture", from the Greek verb γλύφειν ''glyphe ...
and the
Hofgarten.
Later, he assisted
Wilhelm Lindenschmit the Elder
Wilhelm Lindenschmit (the Elder) (March 9, 1806 – March 12, 1848) was a German history painter born in Mainz. He was an older brother to prehistorian Ludwig Lindenschmit (1809–1893), and father to history painter Wilhelm Lindenschmit the You ...
at the new Royal Palace, creating murals based on the ballads of
Friedrich Schiller. At this time, he also began to create a series of oil paintings on historical subjects; notably one of King
Otto
Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', '' Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity".
The name is recorded f ...
saying farewell on his way to Greece.
In 1835, he took a study trip to Rome, where he created his monumental painting "Des Sängers Fluch" (The Singer's Curse), based on the poem by
Ludwig Uhland
Johann Ludwig Uhland (26 April 1787 – 13 November 1862) was a German poet, philologist and literary historian.
Biography
He was born in Tübingen, Württemberg, and studied jurisprudence at the university there, but also took an interest in ...
. Upon his return, he was appointed a Professor at the Academy by King
Maximilian II of Bavaria
Maximilian II (28 November 1811 – 10 March 1864) reigned as King of Bavaria between 1848 and 1864.
Unlike his father, King Ludwig I, "King Max" was very popular and took a greater interest in the business of Government than in personal extr ...
. In thanks, he created two monumental canvases for the
Maximilianeum
The Maximilianeum, a palatial building in Munich, was built as the home of a gifted students' foundation but since 1949 has housed the Bavarian State Parliament. It sits grandly and as a focal point on the bank of the Isar River above Maximilian ...
.
Between 1865 and 1875, he served as Director of the Royal Gallery, but was harshly criticized for his methods of restoration, which employed questionable chemical processes developed by
Max von Pettenkofer
Max Joseph Pettenkofer, ennobled in 1883 as Max Joseph von Pettenkofer (3 December 1818 – 10 February 1901) was a Bavarian chemist and hygienist. He is known for his work in practical hygiene, as an apostle of good water, fresh air and proper ...
, as well as the
overpainting
Overpainting is the final layers of paint, over some type of underpainting, in a system of working in layers. It can also refer to later paint added by restorers, or an artist or dealer wishing to "improve" or update an old image—a very common ...
of some canvases. Despite this, he was elevated to the nobility in 1869.
His paintings are historically precise, but are now considered to be rather conservative and
academic
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...
.
Foltz died in Munich in 1877.
Sources
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External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foltz, Philipp
19th-century German painters
19th-century German male artists
German male painters
1805 births
1877 deaths
History painters
People from Bingen am Rhein