Gessner, Salomon

Gessner, Salomon (b Zurich, 1 Apr. 1730; d Zurich. 2 Mar. 1788). Swiss painter, etcher, and writer. As both a writer (of poetry and lyrical prose) and visual artist he concentrated on pastoral subjects treated in a sweet, idealized style that brought him great popularity. He was the son of a bookseller and publisher, whose business he inherited in 1775, and he made numerous charming illustrations for books (including his own) issued by the family firm. His best-known literary works (both of which appeared in numerous editions and translations) are Idyllen (Idylls, 1756) and the prose epic Der Tod Abel (The Death of Abel, 1758). As a painter he was self-taught, and he describes his process of learning in Brief Über die Landschaftsmalerei (Letters on Landscape Painting), first published in a five-volume edition of his writings (1770–2). He advocates love of nature and imitation of the great masters, in particular Claude, as the best training for the landscape painter who wishes to express true feeling, and he asserts that poetry and painting should support one another. His son Konrad Gessner (1764–1826) was a painter and etcher.