Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von (
b Frankfurt, 28 Aug. 1749;
d Weimar, 22 Mar. 1832). German writer, scientist, patron, and amateur artist, one of the giants of European culture. Throughout his career he devoted much time to studying art and was a prolific draughtsman. His talent in this field was modest, but his writings were influential on the visual arts, particularly in the growth of
Romanticism. Initially he stressed the role of passion in art, but after visiting Italy in 1786–8 he had a greater appreciation of the
classical tradition. His writings on art included a book on colour theory (
Zur Farbenlehre, 1810; translated into English by
Eastlake, 1840), in which he purported to refute the
Optics of Newton, and a German translation of
Cellini's Autobiography (1798). Many other pieces were published in the periodical
Die Propyläen (1798–1800), which he founded as a mouthpiece for his views, and in a series of occasional volumes he edited entitled
Über Kunst und Altertum (Art and Antiquity, 6 vols., 1816–32). He was a friend and patron of numerous artists, including
Friedrich and
Tischbein, and his imaginative works were an inspiration to many others;
Delacroix, for example, produced a set of lithographs (1828) illustrating his
Faust. See also
Minimal art.
