Rudolph Friedrich Miess (21 August 1854 – 29 May 1935) was an Imperial Austrian-born painter from the

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

region, today part of

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. Although he did numerous portraits, he is best known for his landscapes, which combine the

Academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

and

Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

styles.

Biography

He was born to a family of wealthy

Transylvanian Saxon The Transylvanian Saxons (; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjer Såksen'' or simply ''Soxen'', singularly ''Sox'' or ''Soax''; Transylvanian Landler: ''Soxn'' or ''Soxisch''; ; seldom ''sași ardeleni/transilvăneni/transilvani''; ) are a people ...

merchants, and pursued that trade until he was twenty-nine. At that time, his interest in art led him to enroll at the

Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna () is a public art school in Vienna, Austria. Founded in 1688 as a private academy, it is now a public university. The academy is also known for twice rejecting admission to a young Adolf Hitler in 1907 and 1908. ...

, where he studied for two years, then transferred to the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, where he studied with the history painter, Johann Caspar Herterich. While there, he was also influenced by the works of

Wilhelm Leibl Wilhelm Maria Hubertus Leibl (October 23, 1844 – December 4, 1900) was a German realist painter of portraits and scenes of peasant life. Biography Leibl was born in Cologne, where his father was the director of the Cathedral choir. He was a ...

Max Liebermann Max Liebermann (20 July 1847 – 8 February 1935) was a German painter and printmaker, and one of the leading proponents of Impressionism in Germany and continental Europe. In addition to his activity as an artist, he also assembled an important ...

and

Fritz von Uhde Fritz von Uhde (born Friedrich Hermann Carl Uhde; 22 May 1848 – 25 February 1911) was a German Painting, painter of Genre art, genre and Religious Painting, religious subjects. His style lay in-between realism (art), Realism and Impressionism, ...

."Friedrich Miess: erster "freier Künstler" Siebenbürgens"
an exhibition review by Gudrun-Liane Ittu from the ''Siebenbürgische Zeitung'' (2004). From 1890 to 1891, he went to Italy, visiting Rome and Venice, where he copied the works of

Titian Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno. Ti ...

. He returned to Italy two years later, living in Cervara di Roma and painting landscapes en

plein air ''En plein air'' (; French for 'outdoors'), or plein-air painting, is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein air' painting is c ...

. He spent the years 1894 to 1896 in Rome, working in the studio of his fellow German-Romanian, . Upon returning to Brașov, he opened his own studio, becoming one of the first to work as a freelance artist in that area. His workshop soon became a meeting place for the German-speaking artistic community. Those who worked with him there included

Hans Mattis-Teutsch Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi ...

and Margarete Depner. In 1903, he served on a committee charged with overseeing the selection of painters to work on the restoration of

Holy Trinity Cathedral, Sibiu The Holy Trinity Cathedral, Sibiu (), located at 35 Mitropoliei Street, Sibiu, Romania, is the seat of the Romanian Orthodox Archbishop of Sibiu and Metropolitan of Transylvania. It was built in the style of a Byzantine basilica, inspired by Hagi ...

. He exhibited throughout Romania, as well as in Berlin and Budapest, where he was awarded a gold medal at the National Exhibition in 1909. Many of his works were reproduced in '' Die Karpathen'', a local German-language magazine.

Selected paintings

File:A-garland-of-flowers-frigyes-friedrich-miess.jpg, A Garland of Flowers File:Friedrich miess, autunno.JPG, Autumn File:Friedrich Miess - Portretul lui Ottokar von Czernin.jpg, Portrait of
Count Ottokar von Czernin File:Friedrich Miess - Portret de fata.JPG, Portrait of a Young Girl

References

External links

Restituiri: Friedrich Miess
by Iulia Mesea @ Revista Transilvania. {{DEFAULTSORT:Miess, Friedrich 1854 births 1935 deaths 19th-century Romanian painters 20th-century Romanian painters Romanian portrait painters Romanian landscape painters People from Brașov Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni Romanian people of German descent Transylvanian Saxon people Painters from Austria-Hungary

Biography

Selected paintings

References

Further reading

External links