Johann Gottfried Steffan Motiv aus der Ramsau bei Berchtesgaden 1874

Young herdsman with goats and sheep 1858

Johann Gottfried Steffan (December 13, 1815 – June 16, 1905) was a Swiss landscape artist,Franz Zelger. Steffan, Johann Gottfried. '' Grove Art Online'' (Oxford University Press; 2003) regarded as one of the most important Swiss landscapists of the 19th century. Steffan was born in Wädenswil, Switzerland in 1815. After his apprenticeship as a lithographer in his home town, Steffan travelled to

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

in 1833, where he attended the Academy of Fine Arts under Peter von Cornelius. Under the influence of Carl Rottmann, he turned to realistic

landscape art Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction in painting of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, rivers, trees, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a coh ...

. Steffan's studio became the center for Swiss artists in Munich, including Rudolf Koller, Johann Caspar Bosshardt and Arnold Böcklin, although he was also associated with artists from Germany. His pupils include Traugott Schiess (1834–69) and Otto Frölicher. He made several study trips to the

Swiss Alps The Alps, Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps, represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss Plateau and the Swiss portion of the Jura Mountains, one of its three main Physica ...

, especially to the

Canton of Glarus The canton of Glarus ( ; ; ; ) is a cantons of Switzerland, canton in east-central Switzerland. The capital is Glarus. The population speaks a variety of Alemannic German. The majority of the population (81%) identifies as Christianity in Switzer ...

and to Lake Walen. Later, he often went to

Berchtesgaden Berchtesgaden () is a municipality in the district Berchtesgadener Land, Bavaria, in southeastern Germany, near the border with Austria, south of Salzburg and southeast of Munich. It lies in the Berchtesgaden Alps. South of the town, the Be ...

and to Ramsau where he found many of his motifs. Steffan's paintings mostly are idealistic landscapes of the Munich School and often show mountain motifs. Koller compared his style to Alexandre Calame. Franz Zelger, in his entry in ''Grove Art Online'', describes him as an "outstanding and sensitive observer of nature" although notes "his manner was often slick and conventional". His son Arnold Steffan (1848–82) was also a landscape artist.Steffan, Johann Gottfried. '' Benezit Dictionary of Artists'' (Oxford University Press; 2011) Johann Gottfried Steffan died on June 16, 1905, in Munich.

Main works

*''Mittag in den Glarner Alpen, Bergbach'' ("Noon in the Alps of Glarus, Mountain Stream", 1857), House of Art, Aarau *''Der Mont d'Orge bei Sitten'' ("Mont d'Orge by Sitten", 1869), Museum of Art, Luzern *''Landscape Study at Lake Starnberg'' (1872), Zurich, Ksthaus *''Alp im Klöntal'' ("Alp in the Kloen Valley", 1880), House of Art,

Glarus Glarus (; ; ; ; ) is the capital of the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Since 1 January 2011, the municipality of Glarus incorporates the former municipalities of Ennenda, Netstal and Riedern.Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steffan, Johann Gottfried 19th-century Swiss painters Swiss male painters 20th-century Swiss painters Swiss landscape painters Realist painters 1815 births 1905 deaths Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni People from Wädenswil 19th-century Swiss male artists 20th-century Swiss male artists