Robert Schiess (1896–1956) was a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

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 ...

and member of the

Pontifical Swiss Guard The Pontifical Swiss Guard (also Papal Swiss Guard or simply Swiss Guard; la, Pontificia Cohors Helvetica; it, Guardia Svizzera Pontificia; german: Päpstliche Schweizergarde; french: Garde suisse pontificale; rm, Guardia svizra papala) is ...

Life

Robert Schiess was born in 1896 in

Cham, Switzerland Cham is a municipality in the canton of Zug in Switzerland. Location Cham is located on the northern shore of Lake Zug, northwest of the cantonal capital of Zug. Surrounding Cham, Steinhausen is to the east, Hünenberg is to the west, Lake Z ...

. After learning to paint in

Altdorf, Uri Altdorf (sometimes written as ''Altdorf UR'' in order to distinguish it from the other "Altdorfs"; German for "old village") is a historic town and municipality in Switzerland. It is the capital of the Swiss canton of Uri. The municipality cove ...

, Schiess worked in

Lucerne Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking po ...

and in 1920 took a study trip to

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 ...

to further refine his artistry. In 1923, Schiess began serving with the

Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...

and continued his education here until 1927. During his time in Italy, Schiess was introduced to famous painter

Philip de László Philip Alexius László de Lombos (born Fülöp Laub; hu, Fülöp Elek László; 30 April 1869 – 22 November 1937), known professionally as Philip de László, was an Anglo-Hungarian painter known particularly for his portraits of royal an ...

, and in 1928 the two artists travelled throughout the world to destinations including Africa, America, Spain and France. In 1933, Schiess returned to Italy and again began to serve with the Swiss Guard, a position in which he remained until 1951. During his time serving as a Swiss Guard, Schiess impressed many with his artistic talents, including the pontiff who had him design and paint new

frescoes 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 ...

for the church of St. Martin and St. Sebastian which was built for the Swiss Guards in 1568. As well as work for the Vatican, he created pictures for wealthy citizens. Schiess also enjoyed recreating the works of

old masters In art history, "Old Master" (or "old master")Old Masters De ...

, which brought him great recognition for his skills. As a result, he was appointed by the Vatican to create portraits of all the colonels of the Swiss Guard. From 1952 Schiess lived on the island of

Ischia Ischia ( , , ) is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples, about from Naples. It is the largest of the Phlegrean Islands. Roughly trapezoidal in shape, it measures approximately east to west ...

, where he went on to marry in 1955. Shortly after, Schiess became ill and died in 1956 at the age of 60.

References

*''This article was initially translated from the German Wikipedia.'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Schiess, Robert 20th-century Swiss painters Swiss male painters 1896 births 1956 deaths People from Cham, Switzerland 20th-century Swiss male artists