Friedrich Gauermann - Buy or sell works
20 September 1807, Scheuchenstein (Austria) - 7 July 1862, Vienna (Austria)
Friedrich Gauermann numbers among the leading Austrian landscapists of the Biedermeier period.
Friedrich Gauermann was born in Scheuchenstein in the borough of Miesenbach in Lower Austria on 20 September 1807 the son of the copper engraver and painter Jakob Gauermann. Like his elder brother Carl, Friedrich was instructed in landscape painting by his father, who greatly fostered his talent.
In 1824, Friedrich Gauermann took up his studies at the Vienna Academy in the class of Joseph Rebell and Joseph Mössmer. He graduated after three years. During his studies, he undertook countless excursions in the company of his brother that led the two young painters to the Alps in Tyrol and Salzburg, as well as to Styria. After his brother’s premature death in 1829, Friedrich Gauermann completed his education autodidactically during various study tours, such as to Venice, Dresden, and Munich.
His keen observation of Austria’s Alpine scenery and his immersion in Flemish painting of the early Renaissance considerably impacted on Friedrich Gauermann’s style. Influenced by such Dutch artists as Ruisdael, Wouwermann, Potter, and Ross and their description of nature, he gradually detached himself from topographical painting and established a new type of naturalistic landscape painting. Following his first successful exhibitions in the early 1830s, Friedrich Gauermann, with his depictions of forest and mountain landscapes populated by animals, became one of the most popular painters of the Biedermeier period. In 1836 he was elected artistic member of the Imperial and Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Johann Nestroy and Ferdinand Raimund belonged to his large circle of artist friends.
His art historical significance is mainly due to his development of a new type of naturalism in landscape painting. Characteristic features of his output are atmospheric light effects, a masterful talent as a draughtsman, and a highly harmonious treatment of colour. Reproductions of his works in the form of coloured prints and lithographs already enjoyed great popularity during his lifetime.
The artist’s oeuvre comprises about 1,200 oil paintings and more than 170 drawings.