Johann Ludwig Aberli (14 November 1723,

Winterthur , neighboring_municipalities = Brütten, Dinhard, Elsau, Hettlingen, Illnau-Effretikon, Kyburg, Lindau, Neftenbach, Oberembrach, Pfungen, Rickenbach, Schlatt, Seuzach, Wiesendangen, Zell , twintowns = Hall in Tirol (Austria), La ...

- 17 October 1786,

Berne german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

) 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

etcher Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

Biography

He was born into a humble family. His father was a watchman. After completing his basic education, he became the student of a local artist named Heinrich Meyer. With his recommendation, in 1741, Aberli was accepted at the drawing school operated by . While studying there, he worked as a decorative painter. In the mid-1740s, he and Philipp Hieronymus Brinckmann took a trip through the

Bernese Oberland The Bernese Oberland ( en, Bernese Highlands, german: Berner Oberland; gsw, Bärner Oberland; french: Oberland bernois), the highest and southernmost part of the canton of Bern, is one of the canton's five administrative regions (in which context ...

, which stimulated his interest in painting landscapes. In 1747, he married Christina Barbara Janss, from

Saanen Saanen (french: Gessenay; Highest Alemannic German, Highest Alemannic: ''Saanä'') is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Bern (canton), Bern in Switzerland. It is the capital of the Obersimment ...

. They had only one daughter, who died young. That same year, he succeeded his former teacher Grimm as operator of the drawing school. He often took his students on trips to

lake Geneva , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial lak ...

Lake Biel __NOTOC__ Lake Bienne or Lake Biel (french: Lac de Bienne ; german: Bielersee) is a lake in western Switzerland. Together with Lake Morat and Lake Neuchâtel, it is one of the three large lakes in the Jura region of Switzerland. It lies approxima ...

Lake Neuchâtel Lake Neuchâtel (french: Lac de Neuchâtel ; frp, Lèc de Nôchâtél; german: Neuenburgersee) is a lake primarily in Romandy, in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. The lake lies mainly in the canton of Neuchâtel, but is also shared by t ...

, and the Oberland. He established his own workshop in the 1750s, together with a publishing company to issue his works. He also trained his employees, including the engraver,

Adrian Zingg Adrian Zingg (April 15, 1734, St.Gallen – May 26, 1816, Leipzig) was a Swiss painter. Life Adrian Zingg received his professional training with his father, the steel cutter Bartolomäus Zingg, then became an apprentice with the engra ...

, and the vedutist,

Samuel Hieronymus Grimm Samuel Hieronymus Grimm (18 January 1733 – 14 April 1794)''The Gentleman's Magazine, 1794, p399 was an 18th-century Swiss landscape artist who worked in oils (until 1764), watercolours, and pen and ink media. Grimm specialised in documenting h ...

. In 1759, he took them to Paris, to study the

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

at the museums, and to show them the famous engraving workshop of

Johann Georg Wille Johann Georg Wille, or Jean Georges Wille (5 November 1715, near Biebertal - 5 April 1808, Paris) was a German-born copper engraver, who spent most of his life in France. He also worked as an art dealer. Life and work He was the eldest of seven ...

. After returning from Paris, he had a small summer house built in

Köniz Köniz (, ) is a statistical town, however considers itself still as a village, and a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district right on the southern border to Bern in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. The municipality of K ...

and began collecting art. His greatest financial success came with

copper engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an in ...

s, but he also made a decent profit on his

watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

s. In order to reproduce them, he developed an etching method that came to be known as the "Aberlische Manier". In 1774, he travelled throughout the

Jura Mountains The Jura Mountains ( , , , ; french: Massif du Jura; german: Juragebirge; it, Massiccio del Giura, rm, Montagnas da Jura) are a sub-alpine mountain range a short distance north of the Western Alps and mainly demarcate a long part of the Frenc ...

with his colleague,

Sigmund Freudenberger Sigmund Freudenberger (16 June 1745 – 15 November 1801) was a Swiss painter and engraver. Biography Freudenberger was the son of a lawyer, and studied as a portraitist. He lived from 1765 to 1773 in Paris, where he worked with François Bo ...

. He was visited by

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as trea ...

, on his second trip to Switzerland in 1779. He died at the age of sixty-two. His business operations were continued by the artist, , while the remainder of his estate was auctioned off. A street in

Biel , french: Biennois(e) , neighboring_municipalities= Brügg, Ipsach, Leubringen/Magglingen (''Evilard/Macolin''), Nidau, Orpund, Orvin, Pieterlen, Port, Safnern, Tüscherz-Alfermée, Vauffelin , twintowns = Iserlohn (Germany) B ...

is named after him.

Sources

* Frédéric-Charles Lonchamp: ''J.-L. Aberli (1723-1786). Son temps, sa vie et son oeuvre avec un catalogue complet, méthodique et raisonné a) de son oeuvre gravé; b) de l'oeuvre gravé de ses interprétateurs; c) de ses peintures et de ses dessins (crayons, aquarelles, esquisses, etc.)'', Paris 1927. * * *

External links

* *
Johann Ludwig Aberli
@ the

Burgerbibliothek Bern The Burgerbibliothek of Berne (german: Burgerbibliothek Bern) is a public library located at Münstergasse 63 in Berne, Switzerland. The origins of this institution can be traced back to the Reformation. Until 1951 it belonged jointly to the ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aberli, Johann Ludwig 1723 births 1786 deaths People from Winterthur Swiss etchers Swiss landscape painters 18th-century Swiss painters 18th-century Swiss male artists Swiss male painters