Franz Krüger (10 September 1797, in Großbadegast, Köthen,

Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the 8th-largest state in Germany by area an ...

– 21 January 1857, in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

), known as Pferde-Krüger ("Horse-Krüger"), was a German (Prussian) painter and lithographer. He was best known for his romantic and lively portraits and pictures of horses, which made him the most in demand military and portrait painter in Berlin. His paintings of military parades and hundreds of portraits led to him painting many of the "well to do" of the city.

Life

Krüger was the son of a nobleman, and his friendship with the ornithologist

Johann Friedrich Naumann Johann Friedrich Naumann (14 February 1780 – 15 August 1857) was a German scientist, engraver, and editor. He is regarded as the founder of scientific ornithology in Europe. He published ''The Natural History of German Birds'' (1820–1844) ...

from the neighbouring town of Ziebigk led him into animal painting. During his school days in Dessau, he came into contact with the landscape painter . Krüger studied in 1812–13 at the

Prussian Academy of Arts The Prussian Academy of Arts () was a state arts academy first established in 1694 by prince-elector Frederick III of Electorate of Brandenburg, Brandenburg in Berlin, in personal union Duke Frederick I of Prussia, and later king in Kingdom of ...

in Berlin, and then continued to hone his skills independently by drawing from life, particularly in the Prussian royal stables. In 1818, his military and hunting paintings were exhibited at the academy for the first time. His painting of Prince Augustus of Prussia (a son of Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia) and Count Neidhardt von Gneisenau laid the foundations for his fame as a portraitist and led to further depictions of the royal family. In 1825, he was named a Royal Professor and a full member of the Academy of Arts. Many trips to the Russian court in St. Petersburg and the courts in

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and

Schwerin Schwerin (; Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch dialect, Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch Low German: ''Swerin''; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Zwierzyn''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Germ ...

followed. During a study trip to Paris in 1846, he met

Eugène Delacroix Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( ; ; 26 April 1798 – 13 August 1863) was a French people, French Romanticism, Romantic artist who was regarded as the leader of the French Romantic school.Noon, Patrick, et al., ''Crossing the Channel: ...

. After the

revolutions of 1848 The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...

, he returned to Dessau, but in 1855, he took part in the World Exhibition in Paris. In 1825, he married an artist called Johanna Eunicke. She died in 1856. He died the year after, and was buried at Dorotheenstadt cemetery in Berlin. One of his students was the animal painter

Carl Steffeck Carl Constantin Heinrich Steffeck (4 April 1818, Berlin – 11 July 1890, Königsberg) was a German painter and graphic artist. He was especially well known for his paintings of horses and dogs. Life He was the son of a "gentleman of independ ...

Selected works

File:1824 Krueger Parade Opernplatz in 1822 anagoria.JPG, '' Parade in the Opernplatz in Berlin'' , 1830 Image:Franz Krüger 001.jpg, Franz Krüger: Prince Wilhelm of Prussia (later Kaiser-King

Wilhelm I Wilhelm I (Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; 22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888) was King of Prussia from 1861 and German Emperor from 1871 until his death in 1888. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was the first head of state of a united Germany. ...

) with painter, 1836 ( Alte Nationalgalerie) File:Nicholas I with wife by F.Kruger (1833, Russian museum).jpg, '' Emperor Nicholas I and Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna'' (

Russian Museum The State Russian Museum (), formerly known as the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III (), on Arts Square in Saint Petersburg, is the world's largest depository of Russian fine art. It is also one of the largest art museums in ...

) File:1846 Krueger Friedrich Wilhelm IV anagoria.JPG, ', 1846,

Deutsches Historisches Museum The German Historical Museum (), known by the acronym DHM, is a museum in Berlin, Germany devoted to German history. It describes itself as a place of "enlightenment and understanding of the shared history of Germans and Europeans". It is often ...

File:Alte Nationalgalerie-Krüger-Regimentübergabe in Potsdam 1817 DSC8020 (cropped).jpg, '' Parade in Potsdam in 1817'', 1849, Alte Nationalgalerie File:1851 Krueger Zwei Reiter im Galopp anagoria.JPG, ''Two riders galloping'', 1851,

Germanisches Nationalmuseum The ''Germanisches Nationalmuseum'' is a museum in Nuremberg, Germany. Founded in 1852, it houses a large collection of items relating to German culture and art extending from prehistoric times through to the present day. The museum is Germany' ...

Literature

*Max Osborn: ''Franz Krüger''. Edited and with a foreword by Kerstin Englert. Berlin: Gebr. Mann, 1997 (New issue of a book of 1910)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kruger, Franz 1797 births 1857 deaths Painters from the Kingdom of Prussia People from Südliches Anhalt 19th-century German painters 19th-century German male artists German male painters German printmakers