Moritz von Schwind - Studies in Vienna; first prestigious commissions in Munich
Moritz von Schwind was born in Vienna on 21st January 1804. As the son of an imperial knight, he and his five brothers enjoyed a good education - Eduard von Bauernfeld and Nikolaus Lenau were among his classmates at the Schottengymnasium in Vienna – and he was thus able to pursue a career of his choice. Contrary to his father's wishes, Moritz von Schwind did not take up a career as a civil servant, but instead began studying art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, where Ludwig Ferdinand Schnorr von Carolsfeld and Johann Peter Krafft were his teachers. During his years in Vienna, Moritz von Schwind cultivated good acquaintances with poets, painters and composers, such as Franz Schubert, Leopold Kupelwieser, Franz von Schober and Franz Grillparzer. An explicit recommendation from Peter Cornelius led the young painter to Munich in 1828, where he decorated the library room of the Bavarian queen with scenes from the poetic works of Ludwig Tieck. From Munich, he undertook a study trip to Italy in 1835, although this had little influence on his painting style.
Work in Karlsruhe; teaching assignments in Frankfurt and Munich
In the following years, Moritz von Schwind took on further design commissions, both in Munich for the Residence and Hohenschwangau Castle as well as in Saxony and Baden, which earned him a respectable reputation as an artist. His designs for Hohenschwangau were based on the biography of Charlemagne and were not executed by himself, but by Franz Xaver Glink. In 1840, Moritz von Schwind went to Karlsruhe, where he met his future wife Luise Sachs, the daughter of an officer. He decorated the assembly hall of the Ständehaus in Karlsruhe and also adorned the ground floor of the Staatliche Kunsthalle with his frescoes. In 1844, he took on a teaching position at the renowned Städelschule in Frankfurt, where he had a villa built according to his own designs in the style of Romanesque Classicism. In 1847, he returned to Munich and took up a professorship at the Academy of Fine Arts. Franz von Schober recommended the artist's services to the Hereditary Grand Duke of Weimar to decorate the newly restored Wartburg Castle.
Monumental murals and small newspaper illustrations
Moritz von Schwind decorated the legendary castle near Eisenach in Thuringia with magnificent murals depicting, among other things, the famous Singers' War. Scenes from the harrowing life of St Elisabeth of Thuringia can also be seen - the Wartburg painting cycle is one of the artist's most famous works. Moritz von Schwind's preference for motifs from the world of fairy tales and legends was characteristic of his work and their sensitive and atmospheric design contributed greatly to his fame. In addition to his monumental murals, Moritz von Schwind also produced his illustrations on a smaller scale, and his drawings appeared in the Münchner Bilderbogen and the Fliegende Blätter. He also designed numerous handicraft objects such as goblets, jugs, centrepieces and more, and created frescoes with scenes from Mozart's Magic Flute for the Vienna Court Opera. The artist only completed his late work, the so-called Melusine Cycle, six months before his death.
Moritz von Schwind died on 8th February 1871 in Niederpöcking in the Kingdom of Bavaria.
Moritz von Schwind - Works that have already been sold at Kunsthaus Lempertz:
