August Xaver Karl Ritter von - Buy or sell works
10 May 1822, Vienna (Austria) - 21 March 1889, Vienna (Austria)
August Xaver Ritter von Pettenkofen is among the most notable representatives of Austrian outdoor painting. His work influenced younger artists such as Johann Gualbert Raffalt, Leopold Carl Müller, Franz Rumpler and Ferdinand Schmutzer.
The Viennese painter, illustrator and lithographer was the first member of his family to embark on an artistic career: blessed with a prodigious talent for drawing, he enrolled in the illustration class given by Leopold Kupelwieser at the Vienna University of Applied Arts at age 12. His classmates included Carl Schindler. He also took private lessons with Franz Eybl to learn the techniques of lithography. Pettenkofen returned to Vienna in 1843 and resumed his studies after a two-year hiatus during his military service in Padua. He earned his keep by producing lithographs (largely featuring humorous and military themes) for prestigious Viennese publishers. His first portraits and genre paintings originate from the same period. As a war artist, Pettenkofen accompanied the Austrian army, reaching Szolnok in 1851. His sojourn there had far-reaching implications for his career as an artist from then on: inspired by the rural population, he began painting everyday people, repudiating a preconceived concept for his work and focusing instead on a realistic depiction of people and nature. He returned repeatedly to Szolnok over the following decade. His regular visits to Paris from 1852 onward left their mark in his painting as well. Increasingly, he turned away from his illustrative style, adopting a more picturesque, almost Impressionist manner.
His introverted personality may be the reason why his works never featured in exhibitions during his lifetime. But he was highly respected nevertheless - as evidenced by his knighthood in 1874.
Pettenkofen was known for his peregrinations in the later years of his life, travelling to Riva, Venice, Toblach, Assisi, Sterzing, Bolzano and elsewhere. He was appointed a member of his alma mater, the Vienna University of Applied Arts, in 1866.