Wilhelm Rudolf Jordan (4 May 1810,

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

– 20 March 1887,

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

) was a German

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

painter, illustrator, etcher and art teacher.

Biography

His father was a member of the Judicial Council and he was a descendant of Charles-Étienne Jordan; advisor to

Frederick the Great Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the S ...

. After completing his basic artistic studies with

Karl Wilhelm Wach Karl Wilhelm Wach (also Carl Wilhelm or Wilhelm Wach) (11 September 1787 – 24 November 1845) was a German painter. Life Wach was born in Berlin in 1787, studied art at the Prussian Academy of Arts and was a pupil of painter Karl Kretschmar. ...

at his private school in Berlin, Jordan moved to the

Kunstakademie Düsseldorf The Kunstakademie Düsseldorf is the academy of fine arts of the state of North Rhine Westphalia at the city of Düsseldorf, Germany. Notable artists who studied or taught at the academy include Joseph Beuys, Gerhard Richter, Magdalena Jetelová ...

, where he took master classes with

Friedrich Wilhelm Schadow Friedrich Wilhelm von Schadow (7 September 1789 – 19 March 1862) was a German Romantic painter. Biography He was born in Berlin, the second son of the sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow, who gave him his first lessons in drawing. He then turne ...

and

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 Scha ...

. In 1837, he became a member of the

Prussian Academy of Arts The Prussian Academy of Arts (German: ''Preußische Akademie der Künste'') was a state arts academy first established in Berlin, Brandenburg, in 1694/1696 by prince-elector Frederick III, in personal union Duke Frederick I of Prussia, and late ...

. He graduated from the Kunstakademie in 1840 and, from 1848, operated his own studio; creating genre scenes and giving lessons. He is considered to be one of the founders of the

ethnographic Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject ...

approach to genre painting. During this time, he was named a ""; a largely honorary title. After 1843, following the success of his painting "Heiratsantrag auf Helgoland" (Marriage Proposal in

Helgoland Heligoland (; german: Helgoland, ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , da, Helgoland) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. A part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1890, the islands were historically possessions ...

), he devoted himself mostly to portraying fisherman and sailors, which involved frequent journeys to Belgium, Holland and France. Many of these works became popular and were widely disseminated as lithographs and engravings. Rudolf jordan um 1880

In 1848, he was one of the founders of "

Malkasten Malkasten (English: "Paintbox") is a progressive German artists' association, founded in Düsseldorf in 1848, during the March Revolution. Since 1867, their headquarters have been in the Pempelfort district. History During the unrest in 1848, ...

", a progressive art society in Düsseldorf. That same year, during the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

, he served as a member of the Bürgerwehr (

Vigilance committee A vigilance committee was a group formed of private citizens to administer law and order or exercise power through violence in places where they considered governmental structures or actions inadequate. A form of vigilantism and often a more stru ...

) under Commander

Lorenz Clasen Lorenz Clasen (14 December 1812, Düsseldorf - 31 May 1899, Leipzig) was a German history painter and author; best known for his frequently reproduced painting, "Germania auf der Wacht am Rhein" (Germania at Watch on the Rhein), in the town hal ...

, also a painter by profession. In 1869, he was awarded the

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle (german: Roter Adlerorden) was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful se ...

. A year before his death, he was presented with the Order of the Crown. He was also a recipient of the Commander's Cross in the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry, awarded to citizens of Sweden for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. It was instituted on 29 May 1772 by King Gustav III. It was u ...

. His first wife, Sophie von Mülmann (1811–1863), was a painter of some note.

Notable students

* Anton Dieffenbach * Ernestine Friedrichsen * Albert Kindler *

Heinrich Ludwig Philippi Heinrich Ludwig Philippi (9 June 1838, Kleve – 16 September 1874, Düsseldorf) was a German history painter; associated with the Düsseldorfer Malerschule. He was primarily known as a watercolorist. Biography His father, was a jurist and ...

* Henry Ritter * Raphael Ritz * Emil Gottlieb Schuback *

Richard Sohn Paul Eduard Richard Sohn (11 November 1834, Düsseldorf - 9 March 1912, Düsseldorf) was a German genre painter. His younger brother, Karl Rudolf, was also a well known painter. Biography He was born to the artist, Karl Ferdinand Sohn, and ...

* Benjamin Vautier * Josef Wilhelm Wallander

Selected illustrations and paintings

''More digitalized illustrations may be found in the corresponding article on German Wikipedia'' * K. Stieler, H. Wachenhusen, F.W. Hackländer: ''Rheinfahrt. Von den Quellen des Rheins bis zum Meere.'' (From the Source of the Rhine to the Sea), Kröner, Stuttgart 1875
Digitalized online
* Johann Karl Musäus and Julius Ludwig Klee (eds.). ''Volksmährchen der Deutschen.'' (Popular Tales) with woodcuts and original drawings, Mayer und Wigand, Leipzig 1842
Digitalized online
Rudolf Jordan Mutter mit Kind.jpg, Mother and Child Rudolf Jordan Heimkehr des Fischers 1837.jpg, The Fishermen's Homecoming Rudolf Jordan Heiratsantrag a Helgoland.JPG, Marriage Proposal in Helgoland Jordan-Cliffs.jpg, The Cliffs Rudolf Jordan - Storm by the Coast.jpg, Storm by the Coast

Sources

* "Jordan, Rudolf". In: Hermann Alexander Müller: ''Biographisches Künstler-Lexikon. Die bekanntesten Zeitgenossen auf dem Gebiet der bildenden Künste aller Länder mit Angabe ihrer Werke''. Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig 1882 * "Jordan, Rudolf". In:

Thieme-Becker Thieme-Becker is a German biographical dictionary of artists. Thieme-Becker The dictionary was begun under the editorship of Ulrich Thieme (1865–1922) (volumes one to fifteen) and Felix Becker (1864–1928) (volumes one to four). It was complet ...

, ''Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart''. Vol.19, E. A. Seemann, Leipzig 1926, pgs.161–162. * Hans Paffrath/Kunstmuseum Düsseldorf: ''Lexikon der Düsseldorfer Malerschule''. Vol.2, Bruckmann, München 1998, , pgs.193–196

External links

ArtNet: More works by Jordan.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Rudolf 1810 births 1887 deaths 19th-century German painters 19th-century German male artists German genre painters Kunstakademie Düsseldorf alumni German illustrators Recipients of the Order of Vasa

Biography

Notable students

Selected illustrations and paintings

Sources

Further reading

External links