Adrian Ludwig Richter (September 28, 1803June 19, 1884) was a German painter and
etcher, who was strongly influenced by Erhard and
Chodowiecki.
He was a representative of both
Romanticism
Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...
and
Biedermeier styles.
He was the most popular, and in many ways the most typical German illustrator of the middle of the 19th century. His work is described as typically German and homely as are the
fairy-tales of
Grimm, for whom he produced several woodcuts.
Life
He was born in
Friedrichstadt,
Dresden
Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...
, the son of the
engraver , from whom he received his training.
The interest of his uneventful life centres within the circle of his art.
As a painter Richter aimed at a thorough blending of the figure element with the landscape and may be judged by the following examples: "Harvest Procession in the Campagna" (1833) and three others in the Leipzig Museum: "Ferry at the Schreckenstein" (1836) and "Bridal Procession in Springtime" (1847), in the Dresden Gallery; "View of the Riesengebirge" (1839), in the National Gallery, Berlin. One of his most notable protégés was
Hermann Lungkwitz.
Richter visited
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
from 1823 to 1826, and his ''Thunderstorm in the Sabine Mountains'' at the
Staedel Museum in Frankfurt is one of the rare Italian subjects from his brush.
He worked as designer for the
Meissen
Meissen ( ), is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden and 75 km (46 mi) west of Bautzen on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, th ...
factory, living in a house on Schlossbrucke, close to the castle and cathedral, from 1828 to 1836.
[Plaque on Schlossbrucke, Meissen]
In 1841 he became professor and head of the landscape
atelier
An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or vi ...
at the Dresden Academy, (now
Hochschule für Bildende Künste Dresden). The
Dresden Gallery owns one of his best and most characteristic paintings: ''Bridal Procession in a Spring Landscape''. An eye disease put a stop to the practice of his art in 1874;
[ New International Encyclopedia] he was pensioned in 1877, and died at
Loschwitz
Loschwitz is a borough (''Geography and urban development of Dresden#City structuring, Stadtbezirk'') of Dresden, Germany, incorporated in 1921. It consists of ten quarters (''Stadtteile''):
Loschwitz is a villa quarter located at the slopes nor ...
, near Dresden.
Main works
Among his 240
etching
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 type ...
s are about 140 views in Saxony, others of
Salzburg
Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...
, Rome, and
the Campagna. His individuality is most completely revealed in his 3000 or more drawings. Of special charm are his illustrations for ''
The Vicar of Wakefield'' (1841), for
Musäus' ''
Volksmärchen der Deutschen'' (1842) and for numerous other fairy tales, for the ''Goethe Album'' (1855), for
Schiller's ''
Glocke'' (1857), and those cyclical publications which reveal the most brilliant side of the artist's inexhaustible fancy, such as ''Beschauliches und Erbauliches'' (1851); ''Kinderleben'' (1852); ''Fürs Haus'' (1858–1861); ''Der gute Hirt'' (1860); ''Unser täglich Brot'' (1866); ''Bilder und Vignetten'' (1874).
File:Ludwig Richter - Pool in the Riesengebirge - WGA19455.jpg, ''Pool in the Riesengebirge'' (1839)
File:Ludwig Richter - Bridal Procession in a Spring Landscape - WGA19454.jpg, ''Bridal Procession in a Spring Landscape'' (1847)
File:Ludwig Richter - Civitella (Evening) - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Civitella (Evening)'' (1827–1828)
Publications
* His autobiography, ''Lebenserinnerungen eines deutschen Malers'', edited by his son Heinrich, (Twelfth edition, Frankfurt, 1905)
* J. F. Hoff, (Dresden, 1877)
* Johannes Erler, (Leipzig, 1897)
* V. Mohn, (Bielefeld, 1898)
* Atkinson, in ''Art Journal'' (London, 1885)
*
Lützow, ''Die vervielfältigende Kunst der Gegenwart'' (Vienna, 1886)
*''Alte und neue Studenten-Lieder'' (Old and new Student Songs), and ''Alte und neue Volks-Lieder'' (Old and new Folk Songs), (Leipzig 1844–47) (together with
Adolf Eduard Marschner).
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richter, Adrian Ludwig
19th-century German painters
German male painters
German autobiographers
Academic staff of the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts
1803 births
1884 deaths
German male non-fiction writers
19th-century German male artists
Painters from Dresden