Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy - Edward Magnus 1846

Eduard Magnus (January 7, 1799 – August 8, 1872) was a German

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 ...

, primarily known for portraits.

Biography

Magnus was born in Berlin as the third son of Johann Matthias Magnus, the founder of the Prussian Magnus-Bank. He studied simultaneously at the Prussian Academy of Arts,

Bauakademie The Bauakademie (''Building Academy'') in Berlin, Germany, was a higher education school for the art of building to train master builders. It originated from the construction department of the Academy of Fine Arts and Mechanical Sciences (from ...

, and University of Berlin, becoming educated in medicine, architecture, and philosophy. He took to painting, as a student of Jakob Schlesinger, exhibiting for the first time in 1826 with promising results. He later traveled to Paris and Italy, returning to Germany in 1829. He went to Italy again in 1831, and traveled through Paris and England before returning again in 1835. In 1837 he became a member of the Academy of Art, and in 1844 a professor. From 1850 to 1853 he traveled to France and Spain. He died in 1872 in Berlin. He was for a time the preeminent portrait painter in Berlin. Eduard Magnus was the elder brother of the physicist and chemist Heinrich Gustav Magnus.

Works

In Italy, Magnus produced two pictures, entitled ''The Return of the Palikaren'', and ''The Benediction of the Grandson'', which won him considerable renown. Amongst his productions in the genre school, most of which have been engraved by Mandel, Trossin, and others, ''Two Young Girls at Sunrise'' and ''Two Children'' are prominent. He also painted portraits, amongst others, of

Jenny Lind Johanna Maria "Jenny" Lind (6 October 18202 November 1887) was a Swedish opera singer, often called the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she performed in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and a ...

, Henriette Sontag,

Mendelssohn Bartholdy Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include sy ...

, and the Prussian General Field Marshal Wrangel. Magnus gained high reputation as a portrait-painter, his productions in this department being marked by strong individuality and powerful colouring. The ''Golden Age'', is also a notable work, distinguished by great natural simplicity, reminiscent of Sir

Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter, specialising in portraits. John Russell said he was one of the major European painters of the 18th century. He promoted the "Grand Style" in painting which depend ...

's pictures of a similar class of subject. It was one of the most attractive works exhibited at the Prussian Academy of Arts in 1839. It was purchased by the Art-Union Society of that city, and at the distribution of prizes fell to the lot of the Baron Werther, Minister of Foreign Affairs. It was afterwards engraved by Edward Mandel for the Society, who distributed it among their subscribers in 1843.

Writings

*''Ueber Einrichtung und Beleuchtung von Räumen zur Aufstellung von Gemälden und Sculpturen'' (On the arrangement and lighting of spaces for the display of paintings and sculpture; Berlin, 1864) *''Die Polychromie vom künstlerischen Standpunkte'' (Polychromy from an artistic standpoint; Bonn, 1872).

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Magnus, Eduard 1799 births 1872 deaths 19th-century German painters German male painters Artists from Berlin Humboldt University of Berlin alumni Writers from Berlin Prussian Academy of Arts alumni German male writers 19th-century German male artists