Johann Wilhelm Schirmer (5 September 1807 in Jülich – 11 September 1863 in

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...

) was a German

landscape art Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a coherent composi ...

ist born in Jülich, within the

Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

Duchy of Jülich.

Biography

Schirmer Südtiroler Haus@Weimar Schlossmuseum

Breaking Waves with Distant Ships - Johann Wilhelm Schirmer - Google Cultural Institute

Schirmer was started as a student of

historical painting 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 ...

under Schadow at the academy of Düsseldorf. Later, he came under the influence of Carl Friedrich Lessing and

landscape painting Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a coherent compo ...

and began painting historical landscapes in the manner of Nicolas Poussin. He became known as one of the first of the

Düsseldorf school of painting The Düsseldorf school of painting is a term referring to a group of painters who taught or studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Academy (now the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Staatliche Kunstakademie Düsseldorf or Düsseldorf State ...

. In 1830 he became an Assistant Professor, and later, in 1839, a Professor at the Düsseldorf Academy. In the meantime, he visited and painted in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, the

Black Forest The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is t ...

, Switzerland, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

and Italy. In 1854, he took up the role of a Director at the Art School at

, where he died. This artist is sometimes confused with August Wilhelm Ferdinand Schirmer, who had similar interests, and belonged to the same era. In addition, both were known by the name Wilhelm Schirmer, and were students of

Wilhelm von 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 ...

, although at different academic institutions.

Characteristic works

Schirmer created romantic, classical and Biblical landscapes, such as: * ''The Grotto of Egeria'' (1842), in the

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

Museum * ''Twelve Scenes from the History of Abraham'' (1859–62), in the National Gallery at Berlin * ''An Italian Park'' at Berlin * ''Nether German landscape'' at

* A series of 26 Biblical landscapes at the Düsseldorf gallery * ''Good Samaritan'' (1857), four landscapes at Karlsruhe

Notes

References

* * ;Attribution * *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schirmer, Johann Wilhelm 1807 births 1863 deaths People from Jülich 19th-century German painters 19th-century German male artists German male painters German landscape painters People from the Rhine Province Kunstakademie Düsseldorf alumni Campagna Romana Düsseldorf school of painting