European Art, 1600 to the Present: Biographies

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Lessing, Karl Friedrich

The Oxford Dictionary of Art | 2004 | | Copyright

Lessing, Karl Friedrich (b Breslau [now Wrocław, Poland], 15 Feb. 1808; d Karlsruhe, 5 June 1880). German painter, the great-nephew of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. In 1826 he settled in Düsseldorf and he became one of the leading figures in the tradition of history painting associated with the city. He combined earnestly melodramatic poses with studiously correct historical detail, so that many of his pictures look like scenes from plays or pageants. His best-known works have subjects taken from the Hussite Rebellion of the 15th century (Hussite Sermon, 1836, Kunstmuseum, Düsseldorf) and were identified with the spirit of rebellion against the political and religious repression of the day. Lessing also painted landscapes. In 1858 he became director of the gallery at Karlsruhe, and settled there permanently.

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Lessing, Karl Friedrich

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists | 2003 | | Copyright

Lessing, Karl Friedrich (1808–80). German painter, the great-nephew of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. In 1826 he settled in Düsseldorf and he became one of the leading figures in the tradition of history painting associated with the city. He combined earnestly melodramatic poses with studiously correct historical detail, so that many of his pictures look like scenes from plays or pageants. His best-known works have subjects taken from the Hussite Rebellion of the 15th century (Hussite Sermon, 1836, Kunstmuseum, Düsseldorf) and were identified with the spirit of rebellion against the political and religious repression of the day. Lessing also painted landscapes. In 1858 he became director of the gallery at Karlsruhe, and settled there permanently.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

IAN CHILVERS. "Lessing, Karl Friedrich." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

IAN CHILVERS. "Lessing, Karl Friedrich." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-LessingKarlFriedrich.html

IAN CHILVERS. "Lessing, Karl Friedrich." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-LessingKarlFriedrich.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Karl Friedrich Schinkel: An Architecture for Prussia. Magazine article from: Interior Design; 12/1/1995
	Karl Friedrich Schinkel: The Drama of Architecture. Magazine article from: Interior Design; 12/1/1995
	The problem of the Enlightenment: Strauss, Jacobi, and the Pantheism... Magazine article from: The Review of Metaphysics; 3/1/2003