Ferdinand Konrad Bellermann (14 March 1814, in

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Central Germany (cultural area), Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the Gera (river), River Gera, in the so ...

– 11 August 1889, in Berlin) was a German painter and

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

, who specialized in scenes of

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

.Hernández Caballero, Serafín (Editor). (1998): ''Gran Enciclopedia de Venezuela''. Editorial Globe, C.A. Caracas. 10 volumes, ,

Biography

His father, a tanner, died prematurely, leaving the family in financial straits. As the eldest child, he was especially responsible for their care. Although they received help from his uncle Johann, a successful businessman, he took a job herding sheep. Ferdinand Bellermann 1844-45 000

His talent was discovered, however and, in 1828, at the age of fourteen, he was able to attend the Weimar Princely Free Drawing School, where he studied to be a porcelain painter. The intention was that, upon graduating, he would work at the Volkstedt porcelain manufactory, which was owned by relatives. Apparently, however, he developed vision problems,Brief biography
@ Miradas Alemanas. so he returned to Erfurt and stayed there until 1833, when he went to study in Berlin with Wilhelm Schirmer and Carl Blechen. While there, he travelled extensively throughout

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

and visited Rügen to make sketches. During these excursions, he also developed an interest in botany and acquired considerable knowledge on the subject. In 1840, he took a trip to Norway, via Belgium and the Netherlands, with Friedrich Preller (one of his teachers from Weimar) and two other students. It was a hazardous trip, over back roads with primitive accommodations but, on their return, he painted a large canvas that drew attention to his ability for accurately representing nature, including geological formations. It is currently lost, but was purchased by King Frederick William IV. That led to Bellermann being recommended by

Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 1769 – 6 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, natural history, naturalist, List of explorers, explorer, and proponent of Romanticism, Romantic philosophy and Romanticism ...

to accompany an expedition to South America, initiated by a merchant from

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

, to make scientifically accurate representations of the plants and landscapes. He arrived in Venezuela in July 1842, and stayed until September 1845. The expedition began at the port of La Guaira, where he sketched the local inhabitants and the ruins that still remained from the 1812 Caracas earthquake. He toured most of the country, visiting sites suggested by Humboldt, amassing a huge collection of pastel, pen and pencil sketches as well as some oil paintings, depicting urban life and customs in addition to the landscapes. While there, he witnessed the return of

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...

's remains from Santa Marta in November 1842. He arrived back in Germany in November 1845, but continued to paint canvases relating to Venezuela for the rest of his life. In 1849, he became a Professor of drawing at the Prussian Academy of Arts, and then in 1866, took over the landscape painting professorship from his former teacher, Wilhelm Schirmer. During his tenure, he was an advocate for Humboldt's ideas regarding the potential use of tropical vegetation in Europe. From October 2014 to January 2015, a major centennial retrospective of his work was held at the Angermuseum in

Selected paintings

File:Ferdinand Bellermann 000.JPG, Rooster Salesman File:Ferdinand Bellermann 004.JPG, Colonia Tovar File:Ferdinand Bellermann 003.JPG, Sugar Plantation
near Puerto Cabello File:Ferdinand Bellermann 001.JPG, Cowboys

References

External links

ArtNet: More works by Bellermann
@ Miradas Alemanas hacia América Latina.
Ferdinand Bellermann
@ Wikihistoria del Arte Venezolano

Centennial exposition at the Angermuseum @ City of Erfurt website {{DEFAULTSORT:Bellermann, Ferdinand 1814 births 1889 deaths 19th-century German painters 19th-century German male artists German male painters German landscape painters Artists from Erfurt Painters from Thuringia Venezuelan art

Biography

Selected paintings

References

Further reading

External links