Swiss Artists Illustrating Boys' Fashions



Figure 1.--Albert Anker is a beloved Swiss artist. Some even call him the national artist of Switzerland. Anker was contemporary with the French Impressionists. He was, however, a traditional painter who painted realistic genre works. He gained much respect for his pictures of rural Swiss life. He provides a masterful view of Swiss life in the second half of the 19th century. Here we see "Sleeping boy" (18??). A reader writes about this paining, "I was struck with the similarity of pose of his painting of this boy, who I think was Maurice his son, with the Renoir portrait of Monet's son."

We do not know much about Swiss art at this time. The population is largely German with a French minority. Thus we would assume that there are German and French influences. So far we have found only a few Swiss artists. We do note a portrait painted by Benjamin Vautier. Vautier was associated with the Dusseldorfer Academy. He painted naturalistic portrait of the farmers in Switzerland and the nearby German Black Forest. We also note the work of Swiss artist Karl Bodmer (1809-1893). Bodmer traveled in the American West and painted many Native American subjects. We note a painting of a Sioux camp (about 1834). We can see a mother with a baby on her shoulder and another child.

Albert Anker (1831-1910)

Albert Anker is a beloved Swiss artist. He was interested in drawing and art from boyhood. He was greatly influenced by the exhibitions of the Soci?t? des Amis des Arts in Neuchâtel (1842). Louis Wallinger (1819-86) gave him private drawing lessons (1845-48). He did not, however, study in art schools. He pursued theology, largely at the direction of his father. He began his studies in Berne planning to become a clergymen (1851). He continued to pursue theology at the university in Halle, Germany. It was common at the time for Germasn speakers to study in other German speaking countries. While in Germany, Anker visited many art museums, exposing him to major art masters. He visited the Gem?ldegalerie in Dresden, which had a particularly important collection. His father finally gave upnhis plans for the ministry and allowed Anker to pursue art. Anker moved to Paris (1854). He worked in the studio of Charles Gleyre. He began his studies at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris (1855). He began selling portraits. Like many artiosts ast the time, he next went to nothern Italy (1861). He studies the works of the great Renaissance masters by copying their work. Anker was contemporary with the French Impressionists. He was, however, a traditional painter who painted realistic genre works. He gained much respect for his pictures of rural Swiss life. He provides a masterful view of Swiss life in the second half of the 19th century. He both painted ad drew illustrations. He is paricularly noted for his images of children. Like the Impressionists, and probably many other artists, he used his family and friends as models.

Karl Bodmer

We also note the work of Swiss artist Karl Bodmer (1809-1893). Bodmer traveled in the American West and painted many Native American subjects. We note a painting of a Sioux camp (about 1834). We can see a mother with a baby on their shoulder and an other child.

Conrad Hitz (1798-1866)

Conrad Hitz lived in both Germany and Switzerland. At this time we do not yet know much about him or his work. He was born in Langnau am Albis in 1798. He painted portraits, including minatures. He also did genre work. He died in Munich during 1866. His paintings provide us interesting insights on the mid-19th century, much it during a period in which photography ws just beginning to develop. Thus his portraits shows us how inviduals dressed and his genre work provides insights into 19th century families.

Angekica KatharinaKauffman (1741-1807)

Angelica Katharina Kauffman/Maria Anna Angelika Kauffman is often decribed as a Swiss-Austrian artist. She was born in Switzerland, but raised in Austria. Her career, however, was more associated with Italy and England. Her father was Autrian and of modest means, a kind of itinerant painter. He recognized her artistic talents. He taught her how to paint and nurthured her talentt. She showed talent as a musicians, but her real genius was painting. She was doing portraits of local notables by age 12 years. She developed as a neoclassical painter. She did many portraits of well to do European, including many aristocratic or other wealthy individuls English and Russian individuals. She lived for many years in England. While she painted potrtraits, she had a great interest in historical painging. By that she seems to have meant classical alegory. She began her historical psinting in England, but hen moved tio the Continent when they were more appreciated. She alsonliked to paint generic children and cherubs. We are more intereted in her portraits because they are very accurate renderings of period fashions. One interesting oportrait is the Tolstoy family.

Marc Louis Benjamin Vautier (1829-1898)

We do note a portrait painted by Benjamin Vautier. Vautier was associated with the Dusseldorfer Academy. The Düsseldorf School of painting is a group of artists who taught or studied at the Düsseldorf Academy. Vautier painted naturalistic portrait of the farmers in Switzerland and the nearby German Black Forest. Much of his work was genre pieces. He painted naturalistic portraits of the farmers in Switzerland and the nearby German Black Forest. We have archived one portrait by Benjamin Vautier. It is a charming small profile portrait of a young farm boy. He is unidentified and we do not know if he isa Swiss or German boys. It is quite likely that the artist's son may have posed for the portrait. He is wearing a brown jacket and a brown hat with a brim. We believe that this is agood representative as to how farm boys dressed at the time.






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Created: June 5, 2002
Last updated: 6:42 PM 5/26/2010