Karl Friedrich Rudolf Sohn (21 July 1845,

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

– 29 August 1908, Düsseldorf) was a German portrait painter in the

Academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

style.

Biography

His father was the landscape painter,

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 Friedrich Wilhelm ...

. After graduating from the , he was drafted for military service, but was rejected for "physical weaknesses". In 1863, he began studying engineering at the Polytechnic School in

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

. He completed his studies in 1866, but never practiced as an engineer. He returned to Düsseldorf and, shortly before his father's death, he began to study art with him. From 1867 to 1870, he was a student at 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, Blinky Palermo, Ma ...

, where he studied history painting with Karl Müller and figure painting with

Julius Roeting Julius Amatus Roeting (13 September 1822, in Dresden – 21 May 1896, in Düsseldorf) was an Austrian painter. Biography He displayed artistic talent while still very young and, at the age of twelve, helped create a painting of a lion on a l ...

. After the outbreak of the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

, he volunteered for a

Hussar A hussar, ; ; ; ; . was a member of a class of light cavalry, originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry ...

regiment, but was placed on reserve. It was then he began private studies with his cousin,

Wilhelm Sohn Johann August Wilhelm Sohn (29 August 1829, in Berlin – 16 March 1899, in Pützchen, near Bonn) was a German genre painter and art professor. Life Johann August Wilhelm Sohn was born 29 August 1829, in Berlin, Germany. In 1847, he went to ...

, which eventually determined his choice to be a portrait painter. In 1873, he married

Else Sohn-Rethel Elisabeth "Else" Johanna Martha Maria Sohn-Rethel (14 March 1853 – 22 January 1933) was a German painter and singer, active in the mid and late 19th-century. Biography Elisabeth Johanna Martha Maria Rethel was born 14 March 1853 in Rome, P ...

in Dresden, the daughter of the painter

Alfred Rethel Alfred Rethel (May 15, 1816December 1, 1859) was a German history painter. Early life and education Rethel was born in Aachen in 1816. He showed an interest in art in his early life, and at the age of thirteen he executed a drawing which procured ...

. She would later become a well-known artist in her own right, as well as a popular singer. After the honeymoon, he established a permanent studio in

. He exhibited locally and sold his works in Paris through

Goupil & Cie Goupil & Cie is an international auction house and merchant of contemporary art and collectibles. Jean-Baptiste Adophe Goupil founded Goupil & Cie in 1850. Goupil & Cie became a leading art dealership in 19th-century France, with its headquart ...

. The following year, he became a lecturer at the Kunstakademie. Within a few years, he was able to afford a larger home and studio. His reputation as a portrait painter spread internationally. From 1882 to 1886, he was summoned to England by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

, where he painted her portrait as well as those of Prince Leopold,

Princess Beatrice Princess Beatrice, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (Beatrice Elizabeth Mary; born 8 August 1988) is a member of the British royal family. She is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York. She is a niece of King Ch ...

John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...

(the Queen's servant), and others. She sat only once, to have him sketch her face, then other court ladies sat for him to fill in the details of clothing. In 1888, he was appointed a juror for the Third International Art Exposition at the Glaspalast in Munich; together with his friends Robert Diez,

Fritz Schaper Fritz (Friedrich) Schaper (31 July 1841, Alsleben – 29 November 1919, Berlin) was a German sculptor. Life He was orphaned at an early age, and was sent to Halle (Saale), Halle to receive instruction at the Francke Foundations. After being ap ...

and others. He travelled throughout Italy and France and became an early member of the

Deutscher Künstlerbund The Deutscher Kuenstlerbund (Association of German Artists) was founded in 1903 on the initiative of Count Harry Kessler, a promoter of arts and artists; Alfred Lichtwark, director of the Hamburg Art Gallery; and the famous painters Lovis Corin ...

(Association of German Artists), participating in their exhibition of 1906. A year after his death, the city of Düsseldorf hosted a memorial exhibition.

Personal life

His sons,

Alfred Sohn-Rethel Alfred Sohn-Rethel (; 4 January 1899 – 6 April 1990) was a French-born German Marxian economist and philosopher especially interested in epistemology. His main intellectual achievement was the publication of ''Intellectual and Manual Labour: A ...

Otto Sohn-Rethel Otto Wilhelm Sohn-Rethel (1877–1949) German lepidopterist and a painter of the Düsseldorf school of painting art movement. Sohn-Rethel was a member of the art groups, Sonderbund group and Young Rhineland. The prominent theme of his art was y ...

and

Karli Sohn-Rethel Carl Ernst "Karli" Sohn-Rethel (1882–1966) German Modernist painter of the Düsseldorf school of painting art movement. He traveled often and was active in Düsseldorf, Munich, Rome, Positano, Paris, among other places. Sohn-Rethel was a memb ...

all became well-known painters, and his daughter Mira Sohn-Rethel Heuser married painter

Werner Heuser Werner Heuser (1880–1964) was a German painter, engraver, drafter, and professor. He had been a professor of art at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf (Düsseldorf Art Academy) from 1926 until 1937, and he was removed from his position by the ...

. His brother, Richard Sohn, was also an artist of some note.

Other portraits

File:Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh with his family, Carl Rudolph Sohn, 1884.jpg,

Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh Alfred (Alfred Ernest Albert; 6 August 184430 July 1900) was sovereign Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 22 August 1893 until his death in 1900. He was the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He was known as the Duk ...

and Family File:Cetshwayo, King of the Zulus (d. 1884), Carl Rudolph Sohn, 1882.jpg,

Cetshwayo Cetshwayo kaMpande (; ; 1826 – 8 February 1884) was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1873 to 1884 and its Commander in Chief during the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. His name has been transliterated as Cetywayo or Cetshwayo. Cetshwayo consistently ...

, King of the Zulus File:Queen Victoria (1819-1901), Carl Rudolph Sohn, 1883.jpg, Queen Victoria File:John Brown (d. 1883) at Frogmore, Carl Rudolph Sohn, 1883.jpg, John Brown at

Frogmore Frogmore is an estate within the Home Park, Windsor, Home Park, adjoining Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, England. It comprises , of primarily private gardens managed by the Crown Estate. It is the location of Frogmore House, a royal retreat, and ...

Sources

* "Sohn, Carl Rudolph" 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 compl ...

: ''Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart. Vol. 38 (Sim-Sta)'' together with

Hans Vollmer Hans Vollmer (16 November 1878 – 15 February 1969) was a German art historian and encyclopedist. Life His father was the architect (1845-1920), his grandfather the Hamburg marine painter and graphic artist Adolph Friedrich Vollmer (1806–18 ...

(Ed.): ''Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler des XX. Jahrhunderts.'' E. A. Seemann (CD-ROM), Leipzig 2008.

External links

ArtNet: More works by Sohn.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sohn, Karl Rudolf 1845 births 1908 deaths 19th-century German painters 19th-century German male artists German portrait painters Kunstakademie Düsseldorf alumni Painters from Düsseldorf

Biography

Personal life

Other portraits

Sources

Further reading

External links