Paul Eduard Richard Sohn (11 November 1834,

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in ...

- 9 March 1912, Düsseldorf) was a German

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other f ...

painter. His younger brother, Karl Rudolf, was also a well known painter.

Biography

He was born to the artist,

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 Wilhelm von Sc ...

, and his wife Emilie Auguste née Von Mülmann (1805-1884); a sister of the government councillor, . In 1851, he completed his public school education at the "Städtischen

Realschule ''Realschule'' () is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), ...

" (now the ""). His first artistic studies were with his father. He then enrolled 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, Magdalena Jetelová ...

, where he studied with

Rudolf Wiegmann Heinrich Ernst Gottfried Rudolf Wiegmann (17 April 1804, Nordstemmen – 17 April 1865, Düsseldorf) was a German painter, archaeologist, art historian, graphic artist and architect. He worked in the Classical style and, as a painter, is best kn ...

, Heinrich Mücke, and . After 1855, he attended the master classes taught by

Friedrich Wilhelm Schadow Friedrich Wilhelm von Schadow (7 September 1789 – 19 March 1862) was a German Romantic painter. Biography He was born in Berlin, the second son of the sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow, who gave him his first lessons in drawing. He then turne ...

. From 1860 to 1862, he took private lessons from Rudolf Jordan, who was married to his mother's youngest sister, Sophie. In 1867, he made a study trip to Paris. He was also influenced by the work of 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 ...

, although he remained generally true to the styles of the

Düsseldorf school of painting The Düsseldorf school of painting is a term referring to a group of painters who taught or studied at the Düsseldorf Academy (now the Staatliche Kunstakademie Düsseldorf or Düsseldorf State Art Academy) during the 1830s and 1840s, when the A ...

. His works sold very well in the United States. Beginning in the 1870s, he also painted the occasional portrait; including one of Kaiser

Wilhelm I William I or Wilhelm I (german: Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; 22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888) was King of Prussia from 2 January 1861 and German Emperor from 18 January 1871 until his death in 1888. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was the ...

. He was also a member of the progressive artists' group,

Malkasten Malkasten (English: "Paintbox") is a progressive German artists' association, founded in Düsseldorf in 1848, during the March Revolution. Since 1867, their headquarters have been in the Pempelfort district. History During the unrest in 1848, ...

, and served as their librarian.Friedrich Schaarschmidt: ''Geschichte der Düsseldorfer Bildenden Kunst, insbesondere im XIX. Jahrhundert''
Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen, 1902, pg.265 Described by his sister-in-law,

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, ...

, as "quiet and inconspicuous", he never married and, after 1870, lived with his mother. Following her death in 1884, he moved to a modest home of his own and opened a studio nearby.

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sohn, Richard 1834 births 1912 deaths 19th-century German painters 19th-century German male artists German genre painters Kunstakademie Düsseldorf alumni Artists from Düsseldorf

Biography

References

Further reading

External links