Franz xaver winterhalter biography of abraham

German painter and lithographer (–)

Franz Xaver Winterhalter (20 Apr – 8 July ) was a German painter and lithographer, known for his flattering portraits of royalty and upper-class the people in the midth century. Potentate name has become associated meet fashionable court portraiture. Among potentate best known works are Empress Eugénie Surrounded by her Upper crust in Waiting () and honourableness portraits he made of Monarch Elisabeth of Austria ().

Early years

Franz Xaver Winterhalter was inborn in the small village search out Menzenschwand (now part of Sankt Blasien), in Germany's Black Forest^[1] in the Electorate of Baden, on 20 April ^[2] Without fear was the sixth child match Fidel Winterhalter (–), a smallholder and resin producer in loftiness village, and his wife Eva Meyer (–), a member order a long established Menzenschwand family.^[2] His father was of provincial stock and was a stalwart influence in his life. Nominate the eight brothers and sisters, only four survived infancy. From the beginning to the end of his life Franz Xaver remained very close to his affinity, in particular to his relative Hermann (–), who was too a painter.^[3]

After attending school dead even a Benedictine monastery in Whine. Blasien, Winterhalter left Menzenschwand emit at the age of 13 to study drawing and engraving.^[4] He trained as a intriguer and lithographer in the atelier of Karl Ludwig Schüler (–) in Freiburg im Breisgau. Terminate , at the age be in the region of 18, he went to Muenchen, sponsored by the industrialist Capitalist von Eichtal (–).^[5] In , he was granted a pay by Ludwig I, Grand Earl of Baden (–) and began a course of study unbendable the Academy of Arts briefing Munich with Peter von Cornelius (–), whose academic methods effortless him uncomfortable. Winterhalter found marvellous more congenial mentor in distinction fashionable portraitist Joseph Karl Stieler (–). During this time, explicit supported himself working as lithographer.^[6]

Winterhalter entered court circles when hamper he became drawing master inconspicuously Sophie Margravine of Baden, associate with Karlsruhe.^[6] His opportunity to dishonourable himself beyond southern Germany came in when he was put up collateral to travel to Italy, –, with the support of Expensive Duke Leopold of Baden. Counter Rome he composed romantic schoolroom scenes in the manner show consideration for Louis Léopold Robert and dutiful himself to the circle grip the director of the Romance Academy, Horace Vernet. On sovereign return to Karlsruhe he varnished portraits of the Grand Earl Leopold of Baden and climax wife, and was appointed master to the grand-ducal court.

Nevertheless, he left Baden to go to France, where his European genre scene Il dolce Farniente attracted notice at the Reception room of Il Decameron a gathering later was also praised; both paintings are academic compositions nervous tension the style of Raphael. Send the Salon of he avowed a portrait of the Potentate of Wagram with his countrified daughter. His career as regular portrait painter was soon tied when in the same generation he painted Louise Marie take in Orleans, Queen of the Belgians, and her son. It was probably through this painting go off at a tangent Winterhalter came to the attend to of Maria Amalia of nobility Two Sicilies, Queen of distinction French, mother of the Empress of the Belgians.

Court painter

In Paris, Winterhalter quickly became … la mode. He was appointed court cougar of Louis-Philippe, the king stand for the French, who commissioned him to paint individual portraits announcement his large family. Winterhalter would execute more than thirty commissions for him.

This success condign the painter the reputation confiscate a specialist in dynastic distinguished aristocratic portraiture, skilled in blending likeness with flattery and exhilaratory official pomp with modern the fad.

However, Winterhalter's reputation in aesthetic circles suffered. The critics, who had praised his debut subtract the salon of , discharged him as a painter who could not be taken gravely. This attitude persisted throughout Winterhalter's career, condemning his work hinder a category of his take away in the hierarchy of work of art. Winterhalter himself regarded his good cheer royal commissions as a dowry intermission before returning to topic painting and the field get ahead academic respectability, but he was a victim of his shut up shop success, and for the post of his life he pretentious almost exclusively as a figure painter. His success in that field made him rich. Winterhalter became an international celebrity enjoying Royal patronage.

Among his spend time at regal sitters was also Empress Victoria. Winterhalter first visited England in , and returned diverse times to paint Victoria, Empress Albert and their growing kinfolk, painting at least works redundant them, a large number wear out which remain in the Imperial Collection, on display to nobleness public at Buckingham Palace scold other royal residences. On publicize at Osborne House is Florinda, given by Victoria as top-hole birthday present for Albert hold up ^[9] Winterhalter also painted on the rocks few portraits of the body of nobles in England, mostly members retard court circles. The fall remark Louis-Philippe in did not control the painter's reputation. Winterhalter went to Switzerland and worked imprint Belgium and England.

Persistence adage Winterhalter survive from the ruin of one dynasty to rank rise of another. Paris remained his home until a twosome of years before his impermanence. In the same year, cap marriage proposal was rejected, viewpoint Winterhalter remained a bachelor enduring to his work.

After influence accession of Napoleon III, coronet popularity grew. From then disseminate, under the Second Empire, Winterhalter became the chief portraitist reduce speed the imperial family and mindnumbing of France. The French Ruler Eugénie became a favorite conscious, and she treated him greatly. In Winterhalter painted his masterpiece: The Empress Eugénie Surrounded be oblivious to her Ladies in Waiting. Dirt set the French Empress get round a pastoral setting gathering flower in a harmonious circle keep her ladies in waiting. Distinction painting was acclaimed and outward in the universal exposition referee It remains Winterhalter's most celebrated work. The composition shows neat as a pin marked similarity to Florinda standing this gave rise to disgraceful gossip that the Empress distinguished her ladies had posed déshabillé for the earlier painting.^[9]

In , he went to Spain single out for punishment paint Queen Isabella II butt her daughter. Russian aristocratic gathering to Paris also liked be against have their portraits executed antisocial the famous master. As magnanimity "Painter of Princes", Winterhalter was thereafter in constant demand provoke the courts of Britain (from ), Spain, Belgium, Russia, Mexico, the German states, and Writer. During the s and vicious, Winterhalter painted a number apparent important portraits of Polish soar Russian aristocrats. In , take action painted the portrait of TsarinaMaria Alexandrovna. During this time proceed also painted portraits of workers of the André family, with the art collector Édouard André, Henriette André Walther, and Ernest André, which now hang ploy the Musée Jacquemart-André in Town.

During the Second Mexican Luence in the s, headed unresponsive to Maximilian I of Mexico, Winterhalter was commissioned to paint portraits of the Imperial couple. Nobility Empress consort of Mexico, City of Belgium was the colleen of Louise-Marie of France, Sovereign of the Belgians, whom Winterhalter painted at the beginning firm his career in France. Irksome of Winterhalter's paintings of influence Mexican monarchs still remain breach their Mexico City palace, Chapultepec Castle, now the National Museum of History.

Last years

To parcel out with those pressing for profile commissions, many of whom were calling for multiple replicas, Winterhalter made extensive use of commandeer. No portrait painter had bright enjoyed such an extraordinary monarchical patronage as Winterhalter; only Rubens, Van Dyck and Thomas Painter worked as he did break through an international network.

Winterhalter sought after respite from the pressures take in his work with holidays overseas in Italy, Switzerland, and all Germany. Despite the patronize years he lived in Author, he remained deeply attached compute his native country. For entire his success and popularity, Winterhalter continued to live simply crucial abstemiously. In he bought a-okay villa in Baden-Baden, his favourite vacation spot.

In , Winterhalter made his last visit bring under control England. In the autumn consume that year, he traveled consign to Vienna to execute the portraits of Emperor Franz Joseph direct Empress Elisabeth that remain amid his most well-known works. Significance he grew older, Winterhalter's with respect to with France weakened while ruler interest in Germany grew. Grace was taking a cure make money on Switzerland at the outbreak director the Franco-Prussian War, the clash that ended the Second Sculpturer Empire. After the war, significance painter did not return pact France, going instead to Baden. He was officially still official at the court of Baden, and he settled in Karlsruhe. In the last two lifetime of his life, Winterhalter finished very little. During a look in on to Frankfurt am Main tag the summer of , misstep contracted typhus and died avoid 8 July. He was 68 years old.

Style

Winterhalter came disruption his own as a contour painter during the second Control and he painted his beat work during the last match up decades of his life. Filth matched his style to description luxury and relaxed atmosphere topple the age, its hedonism reprove gaiety. His female sitters collide the s and s settle a different physiological climate chomp through those he painted earlier; they are not reticent and mound. His male sitters inspired infrequent original or memorable compositions.

Winterhalter never received high praise convoy his work from serious critics, being constantly accused of lack of substance and affectation in pursuit slow popularity. However, he was well appreciated by his aristocratic custom. The royal families of England, France, Spain, Russia, Portugal, Mexico, and Belgium all commissioned him to paint portraits. His staggering canvases established a substantial habitual reputation, and lithographic copies indicate the portraits helped to broad his fame.

Winterhalter's portraits were prized for their subtle intimacy; the nature of his organize is not difficult to delineate. He created the image tiara sitters wished or needed set upon project to their subjects. Subside was not only skilled at one\'s disposal posing his sitters to sire almost theatrical compositions, but as well was a virtuoso in goodness art of conveying the grain of fabrics, furs and finery, to which he paid negation less attention than to prestige face. He painted very immediately and very fluently, designing first of his compositions directly get a move on the canvas. His portraits castoffs elegant, refined, lifelike, and well 1 idealized.

Concerning Winterhalter's method topple working, it is thought give it some thought, practiced as he was certify drawing and representing figures, oversight painted directly onto the coast without making preliminary studies. Sand frequently decided upon the apparel and pose of the biddy. His style was suave, debonair and plausible. Many of decency portraits were copied in authority workshop or reproduced as lithographs.

As an artist, he remained a difficult figure to place; there are few painters fellow worker whom to compare him, remarkable he does not fit record any school. His early affinities were Neoclassical but his structure can be described as Neo-Rococo. After his death, his portraiture fell out of favor, teach considered romantic, glossy, and skin-deep. Little was known about him personally and his art was not taken seriously until lately. However, a major exhibition look up to his work at the Public Portrait Gallery (United Kingdom) hold London and the Petit Palais in Paris in brought him into the limelight again. Coronate paintings are exhibited today detailed leading European and American museums.

Selected artworks

^[11]

Gallery

• Portrait of Leopold Mad of Belgium,

• Louise of Orléans,

• Louis Philippe I,

• Queen Victoria,

• The Duke of Wellington captain Sir Robert Peel,

• Edward, Ruler of Wales,

• Florinda,

• Portrait pageant Napoleon III,

• Portrait of Duchess Potocka,

• Princess Louise of Prussia,

• Portrait of Alexandra of Denmark,

• Portrait of Franz Joseph,

Notes

References

• Ormond, Richard, and Blackett-Ord, Carol, Franz Xaver Winterhalter and the Courts of Europe, –70, Exh. person. National Portrait Gallery, London, ISBN&#;
• Reisberg von, Eugene Barilo. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (–) Catalogue Raisonne, BvR Arts Management, , ISBN&#;
• Kessler Aurisch, Helga et alii: High society: the portraits of Franz Xaver Winterhalter. Stuttgart: Arnoldsche Art Publishers; Houston: In association with Glory Museum of Fine Arts, Augustinermuseum, Städtische Museen Freiburg, Palais discovery Compiegne, ISBN&#;
• Burlion Emmanuel, Franz Xaver et Hermann Winterhalter , Port, , &#;
• Barilo von Reisberg, City Arnold&#;: Franz Xaver Winterhalter (–): portraiture in the age hold social change, School of Stylishness and Communication, , [1]

External links