Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller (; 15 January 1793 – 23 August 1865) was an Austrian painter. Waldmüller was one of the most important Austrian painters of the
Biedermeier period.
Career
In 1807, Waldmüller attended the
Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. He lived in Pressburg, Hungary and, in 1811, he worked as a teacher of arts for the children of
Count Gyulay in Croatia. He returned to the Academy of Vienna and studied portrait painting. In 1814 he married the singer Katharina Weidner, and subsequently went on tour with her, working as a set designer.
[
In 1817, Waldmüller returned to Vienna and spent much time copying the works of old masters and painting portraits, genre subjects, and still-life. In 1823 he made a portrait of ]Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...
. Waldmüller later became interested in nature and started painting landscapes, which in their loving attention to detail illustrate Waldmuller's belief that the close study of nature should be the basis of painting. These are his most notable works, in which his sense of colour and knowledge of nature helped him to achieve masterly skill.
In 1819, Waldmüller became professor at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, but was in disputes with the Viennese establishment, most notably for his comments on the system of the academy, where he wanted to establish a focus of the study on nature. His views were in opposition to the official doctrines of ideal art promulgated by the Vienna Academy, and after he had published his works on art education, he was forced to retire in 1857. By 1863 he had been accepted back into the art circles of Vienna, and was knighted in 1865.[Richard Rhoda Fine Art, ']
Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller
', (accessed 22 July 2014)
Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller was one of the most important Austrian painters of the Biedermeier period. Whether it was the conquest of the landscape and thus the convincing rendering of closeness or distance, the accurate characterisation of the human face, the detailed and refined description of textures, or the depiction of rural everyday life: his works – brilliant, explanatory, moralising, and socially critical – influenced a whole generation of artists. Being an advocate of natural observation and plein air painting, as well as a critic of academic painting, Waldmüller was far ahead of his time.
Waldmuller died on 23 August 1865 in Hinterbrühl
Hinterbrühl () is a town in the district of Mödling in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It is home to the Seegrotte, a system of caves including Europe's largest underground lake. During World War II, a satellite camp of Mauthausen concentr ...
, Austria.
Nazi-looted art
Waldmüller was one of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
's favorite artists. Under the Nazis, 1933–1945, many artworks by Waldmüller were seized from Jewish collectors and several were channeled to Hitler's Führer Museum in Linz. Claims for restitution of looted Wadlmüller artworks include:
* ''Children on Their Way Home from School'' was stolen from Amalie Redlich in Nazi Austria.
* ''Little Count Esterhazy was looted from the Bloch-Bauer collection''.
* "Bildnis der Familie Gierster" was stolen from Franz and Melania Popper.
* ''Wiedergenesene'' was taken from Hermann Eissler.
* Irma and Oscar Lowenstein for three Walmüllers seized under the anti-Jewish Nuremberg Laws for Hitler's planned Linz museum: ''The Good-Natured Child''; ''Preparing the Celebration of the Wine Harvest'', and ''The Grandparents’ Visit''.
Gallery
File:Waldmüller - Venezianischer Obstverkäufer.jpeg, Venetian fruit seller (1826)
File:Ferdinand-Georg-Waldmüller-1828.jpg, Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller—self-portrait, detail (1828; age 35)
File:1836 Waldmueller Bildnis Louise Mayer anagoria.JPG, ''Louise Mayer'' (1836)
File:1838 Waldmüller Blick auf Ischl anagoria.JPG, View of Ischl (1838)
File:1839 Waldmüller Am Allerseelentag anagoria.JPG, On All Souls' Day (1839)
File:Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller 004.jpg, Dachstein (1839)
File:Waldmüller - Mühle am Ausfluss des Königssees.jpeg, Waterfall (1840)
File:Waldmüller - Junge Dame bei der Toilette.jpeg, ''Young Lady'' (1840)
File:1840 Waldmüller Blumenstrauß mit Silbergefäßen und antiker Vase anagoria.JPG, Still life with bouquet, silver vessels and antique vase (1840)
File:1841 Waldmueller Nach der Schule anagoria.JPG, After school (1841)
File:Waldmüller - Emanuel Ritter von Neuwall.jpeg, Emanuel Ritter von Neuwall (1841)
File:Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller - Stillleben mit Austern, Fischen und Südfrüchten - 1842.jpg, ''Still life with oysters, fish and exotic fruit'' (1842)
File:Waldmüller, Ferdinand Georg - Rosen - 1843.jpg, ''Roses'' (1843)
File:Ferdinand Georg Waldmuller Sunny Day, 1848.jpg, Sunny Day (1848)
File:Ferdinand Georg Waldmueller - Der Liebesbrief sRGB.jpg, ''The love letter'' (1849)
File:Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller - Am Fronleichnamsmorgen (1857).jpg, Am Fronleichnamsmorgen (1857)
File:1858 Waldmueller Kinder im Walde anagoria.JPG, Children in a forest (1858)
File: Waldmüller - Rückkehr von der Kirchweih.jpeg, Return from the Church Fair (1859)
File:Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller - Die Erwartete.jpg, ''Die Erwartete'' (''The Expected''; 1860). Time travel enthusiasts have speculated that this painting depicts a woman holding an iPhone
The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...
. Art historians have rebutted that the object is a small prayer book
A prayer book is a book containing prayers and perhaps devotional readings, for private or communal use, or in some cases, outlining the liturgy of religious services. Books containing mainly orders of religious services, or readings for them are ...
common to the era.
File:1864 Waldmueller Vorfruehling Wiener Wald anagoria.JPG, Early spring in Vienna forest (1864)
See also
*List of Orientalist artists
This is an incomplete list of artists who have produced works on Orientalism#Orientalist art, Orientalist subjects, drawn from the Islamic world or other parts of Asia. Many artists listed on this page worked in many genres, and Orientalist subj ...
*Orientalism
In art history, literature, and cultural studies, Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects of the Eastern world (or "Orient") by writers, designers, and artists from the Western world. Orientalist painting, particularly of the Middle ...
References
Bibliography
*
External links
Biography, Literature and Works by Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waldmuller, Ferdinand Georg
1793 births
1865 deaths
Painters from the Austrian Empire
Austrian landscape painters
Orientalist painters
Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni
Biedermeier painters