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Carl Anton Joseph RottmannGerman landscape painter
Date of Birth: 11.01.1797
Country:  Germany |
Content:
Biography of Carl Anton Joseph Rottmann
Carl Anton Joseph Rottmann was a German landscape painter and the most famous representative of the Rottmann family of artists (ca. 1770-1880). He belonged to the group of artists who worked at the court of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, from whom he received commissions to create large-scale landscapes. Rottmann is known for his mythological and heroic landscapes.
Early Life and Education
Carl Rottmann received his first lessons in painting from his father, Friedrich Rottmann, who taught drawing at the University of Heidelberg. In the beginning of his career, Carl Rottmann painted pictures depicting atmospheric phenomena.
Artistic Career
In 1821, Rottmann moved to Munich, where the next phase of his artistic career began. In 1824, he married Friederike Skell, the daughter of his uncle Friedrich Ludwig von Skell, who served as the park keeper of Hofgarten in Munich. The marriage opened doors for Rottmann at the court. King Ludwig I helped Rottmann to travel to Italy in 1826-27 to broaden the themes of his artistic works, which until then had been limited to local landscapes. Upon his return, Rottmann received a commission from the king to create a cycle of monumental landscapes of Italy for the arcades of Munich's Hofgarten. Completed in 1833, the cycle of 28 frescoes reflected Ludwig's attachment to Italy and elevated landscape painting to the same level as historical painting, which had dominated monumental commissions before that. To commemorate this event, King Ludwig even wrote a distich.
In 1832, after his son Otto ascended the Greek throne, Ludwig I commissioned Rottmann to create a cycle of landscapes dedicated to the nature of Greece, marking the third phase of the artist's career. Initially, the Greek cycle, like the Italian one, was intended to be displayed in the Hofgarten, but later, 23 large-scale landscapes found their place in a separate hall called the "Rottmann Hall" in the New Pinakothek. This hall was the highlight of Ludwig I's painting collection until 1944 when the building was destroyed. The Greek landscapes of Rottmann were reunited in the restored New Pinakothek only in 2003, on the occasion of its 150th anniversary.
Legacy and Death
In 1841, Rottmann was awarded the title of court painter by Ludwig I. He died at the age of 53 and is considered the most famous representative of the Rottmann artistic dynasty.
