Anselm Feuerbach
A German painter who fused classical ideals with a haunting romantic melancholy, creating monumental but deeply personal history paintings.
1829–1880 (age 51)·German painter·Birthday: September 12
Biography
Anselm Feuerbach yearned to resurrect the grand spirit of Renaissance art in 19th-century Germany, but infused it with a modern sense of introspection. The son of an archaeologist, he was steeped in classical antiquity from youth. He studied under academic masters but found his true muse during a long sojourn in Italy. There, he developed his signature style: compositions of austere beauty, with figures drawn from classical mythology and history rendered with sculptural clarity and a subdued, almost mournful palette. His series of paintings featuring the model Nanna Risi—who became his muse and lover—as various classical heroines are among his most powerful works, blending idealization with palpable human emotion. While he struggled for recognition in his lifetime, often clashing with the art establishment, Feuerbach's pursuit of 'ideal beauty' left a profound mark on German painting, standing as a bridge between neoclassicism and the symbolic mood of the fin de siècle.
#1 When Anselm Was Born
The biggest hits of 1829
Anselm's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1829Born
1834Started school
1842Became a teenager
1845Could drive
1847Could vote
1850Turned 21
1859Turned 30
1869Turned 40
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1879Turned 50
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1880Died at 51
Edison patents the incandescent light bulb
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
Key Achievements
- Created the monumental 'The Symposium of Plato' (also known as 'The Banquet'), considered one of his masterpieces.
- Painted a celebrated series of portraits using the Roman model Nanna Risi as his muse and embodiment of classical beauty.
- Was a central figure of the German 'Deutsch-Römer' (German Romans) circle of artists who lived and worked in Italy.
- His work is held in major museums like the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin and the Kunsthalle in Hamburg.
Did You Know?
His stepmother, Henriette Feuerbach, was a writer who became his ardent supporter and later published a memoir about him.
He was a nephew of the philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach.
Feuerbach was known to be intensely self-critical and destroyed many of his own works.
He spent nearly 20 years of his life living and working in Italy, primarily in Rome and Venice.
“Art is not a pleasure, a solace, or an amusement; art is a great matter.”
