Friedrich Johann Christian Ernst Preller the Elder (1804-1878) stands as a significant figure in 19th-century German art, a landscape painter whose work masterfully bridged the ideals of Classicism with the burgeoning spirit of Romanticism. Born in Eisenach, the historic town shadowed by the Wartburg Castle, Preller's artistic journey was profoundly shaped by the intellectual and cultural currents of his time, most notably by his association with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and his extensive travels, particularly to Italy and Norway. His legacy is cemented by his monumental "Odyssey" cycle in Weimar, a testament to his dedication to classical themes rendered with romantic sensibility.
Early Life and Formative Influences
Born on April 25, 1804, in Eisenach, Thuringia, Friedrich Preller's artistic inclinations were nurtured from a young age. His family's move to Weimar in his early childhood proved pivotal. Weimar, at that time, was the vibrant heart of German Classicism, dominated by the towering figure of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Preller began his formal artistic training at the Weimar Princely Free Drawing School (Fürstliche freie Zeichenschule Weimar), an institution that Goethe himself actively supported and influenced.
It was in Weimar that Preller came under the direct mentorship of Goethe. The poet and polymath recognized the young artist's talent and took a keen interest in his development, guiding him towards classical ideals and encouraging a deep study of nature. This early exposure to Goethe's aesthetic philosophy, which emphasized clarity, harmony, and the ennobling power of classical antiquity, laid a foundational layer in Preller's artistic consciousness. Goethe's advice led Preller to Dresden in 1821, where he could study the masterpieces in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, further refining his technical skills and broadening his artistic horizons. He also briefly studied at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts.
The Grand Duke Carl August of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, another key patron in Weimar, facilitated Preller's further education. In 1824, Preller accompanied the Grand Duke on a visit to Belgium. This journey led him to Antwerp, where he enrolled in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. His time in Antwerp, from approximately 1824 to 1826, exposed him to the rich tradition of Flemish landscape painting, particularly the works of masters like Peter Paul Rubens, whose dramatic compositions and vibrant use of color likely made an impression, even if Preller's own path would diverge.
The Italian Sojourn: Embracing the Classical Landscape
A crucial turning point in Preller's career was his extended stay in Italy, from 1827 to 1831. Funded by a ducal scholarship, this journey was almost a rite of passage for Northern European artists seeking to immerse themselves in the art and landscapes of classical antiquity. Rome, in particular, was a magnet for artists from across Europe. Here, Preller joined a thriving community of German artists, often referred to as the "Deutschrömer."
During his time in Italy, Preller dedicated himself to sketching and painting en plein air, capturing the Roman Campagna, the Alban Hills, and the picturesque coastal regions. He was particularly drawn to sites imbued with historical and mythological significance. His landscapes from this period, such as "La Serpentara near Olevano" (1829, now in the Cleveland Museum of Art), reveal a meticulous observation of nature combined with an idealized, heroic vision. He was not merely transcribing reality but seeking the underlying classical spirit of the Italian landscape, much like his predecessors Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain, whose idealized Italian scenes had set a standard for classical landscape painting.
In Rome, Preller would have encountered the work and influence of artists like Joseph Anton Koch, an Austrian painter who was a leading figure among the German-speaking artists in Rome and a pioneer of the heroic landscape. Koch's dramatic depictions of mountainous Italian scenery, often populated with biblical or mythological figures, shared a kindred spirit with Preller's own developing style. The Nazarene painters, such as Friedrich Overbeck and Peter von Cornelius, were also active in Rome, striving for a renewal of art through Christian piety and the study of early Renaissance masters. While Preller's focus remained on landscape, the Nazarenes' emphasis on clear outlines and monumental compositions may have resonated with his classical leanings.
Return to Weimar: Academician and Court Painter
Upon his return to Weimar in 1831, Preller's reputation was already growing. He was appointed as a professor at the Weimar Princely Free Drawing School, the very institution where his artistic journey had begun. In 1834, he became its director, a position he held for many years, influencing a generation of students. His pedagogical activities were complemented by his role as court painter to the Grand Duke.
During this period, Preller continued to produce landscapes, but his focus increasingly turned towards historical and mythological themes, often set within meticulously rendered natural environments. He undertook several study trips, including to Rügen, an island in the Baltic Sea known for its dramatic chalk cliffs, famously depicted by his contemporary Caspar David Friedrich. However, Preller's interpretation of such northern landscapes differed from Friedrich's more overtly spiritual and melancholic approach, tending instead towards a more descriptive, albeit still romanticized, portrayal.
A significant journey to Norway in 1840 further expanded his repertoire of landscape motifs. The rugged fjords, majestic mountains, and unique light of the Nordic summer provided fresh inspiration, resulting in a series of powerful Norwegian landscapes. These works, while still grounded in careful observation, often possess a sublime quality, emphasizing the grandeur and untamed power of nature, a hallmark of Romantic landscape painting. Artists like Andreas Achenbach of the Düsseldorf School were also known for their dramatic Scandinavian scenes, highlighting a broader interest in these northern vistas during the period.
The Monumental "Odyssey" Cycle
The crowning achievement of Friedrich Preller the Elder's career is undoubtedly his "Odyssey" cycle. This ambitious project occupied him for several decades, beginning with initial cartoons and oil sketches in the 1830s and culminating in the large-scale murals (frescoes) for the Preller Gallery in the newly built Grand Ducal Museum (today the Neues Museum Weimar) between 1863 and 1868. He made a second extended trip to Italy (1859-1861) specifically to prepare for these murals, revisiting classical sites and steeping himself once more in the Mediterranean atmosphere.
The "Odyssey" cycle comprises a series of monumental paintings depicting key episodes from Homer's epic. These include scenes such as Odysseus and Nausicaa, Odysseus and Calypso, Odysseus in the Underworld, The Shipwreck of Odysseus, Odysseus and Polyphemus, and Odysseus's Return to Ithaca. Each scene is a masterful fusion of heroic figure painting and evocative landscape. The landscapes are not mere backdrops but integral components of the narrative, their mood and character reflecting the dramatic or emotional tenor of the episode.
In these works, Preller's classical training is evident in the clear compositions, the idealized rendering of the human form, and the narrative clarity. However, the dramatic lighting, the atmospheric effects, and the often sublime or picturesque qualities of the landscapes betray his Romantic sensibility. The "Odyssey" cycle was widely acclaimed and became a major attraction in Weimar, solidifying Preller's reputation as one of Germany's foremost historical landscape painters. The choice of the Odyssey itself reflects the 19th-century fascination with classical literature and mythology, a theme also explored by artists like Arnold Böcklin, though often with a more symbolic and psychologically charged interpretation.
Preller also created smaller oil versions of the "Odyssey" scenes, some of which were completed around 1864 and found their way into private collections. These oil paintings allowed for a richness of color and depth of tone that differed from the fresco technique, showcasing his versatility.
Other Notable Works and Artistic Style
Beyond the "Odyssey" cycle, Preller produced a significant body of work. His painting "Wartburg Castle near Eisenach" (1845, German National Museum, Nuremberg) is a fine example of his ability to capture the spirit of a historically significant German landmark, imbuing it with a sense of national pride and romantic nostalgia, a sentiment common in the works of other German Romantics like Carl Blechen or Ludwig Richter, though their styles varied.
Preller was also a skilled etcher and draughtsman. His drawings, many of which are preserved in collections like the Museum Zitadelle Jülich, reveal his keen eye for detail and his mastery of line. These studies from nature formed the basis for many of his larger compositions.
His artistic style is characterized by a careful balance. He revered the classical tradition, evident in his choice of subject matter, his emphasis on clear drawing, and his often idealized portrayal of figures and landscapes. Yet, he was undeniably a man of his time, and the Romantic impulse towards individualism, emotional expression, and the sublime beauty of nature permeates his work. He admired the heroic landscapes of Poussin and Claude Lorrain, but also the more dramatic and untamed visions of nature found in the work of Salvator Rosa. Unlike the more introspective or symbolic landscapes of Caspar David Friedrich, Preller's work often has a more narrative or descriptive quality, inviting the viewer into a world that is both idealized and recognizably of the earth.
Connections, Contemporaries, and Influence
Preller's long career in Weimar placed him at an important cultural crossroads. His early connection with Goethe was foundational. He was also acquainted with other prominent figures in Weimar's cultural life, including the composer Franz Liszt, who resided in Weimar for a significant period, and potentially knew of the composer Carl Maria von Weber through the general artistic circles. His meeting with the art historian Carl von Lützow in Italy indicates his engagement with the scholarly discourse surrounding art.
As a professor and director of the Weimar Art School, Preller influenced numerous students. Among them was his own son, Friedrich Preller the Younger (1838-1901), who also became a notable painter, often working in a style similar to his father's. Another student, Carl Nicolaus Hummel, son of the composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel, also achieved recognition as a landscape painter.
While Preller was not part of a formal "school" in the same way as the Düsseldorf School painters (like Andreas and Oswald Achenbach) or the Nazarenes, his work represents a distinct and influential strand within German Romanticism, one that sought to reconcile classical ideals with a romantic appreciation for nature's grandeur. His dedication to monumental historical landscape painting found echoes in the work of later artists, though the specific blend he achieved remained unique. One might consider him in the broader context of European landscape painting alongside figures like Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot in France, who also masterfully combined observed reality with poetic idealization in his Italianate landscapes, or even J.M.W. Turner in England, whose mythological and historical landscapes, though far more radical in their handling of light and color, shared an ambition for epic scale and emotional power.
Later Life, Legacy, and Critical Reception
Friedrich Preller the Elder remained active as an artist and teacher into his later years. He continued to travel and paint, always returning to his beloved Weimar. He passed away in Weimar on April 23, 1878, just two days shy of his 74th birthday.
His works were popular during his lifetime, both in Germany and abroad, with some pieces even making their way to American collections. He was respected for his technical skill, his learned approach to classical subjects, and his ability to evoke the spirit of different landscapes, from the sun-drenched plains of Italy to the rugged fjords of Norway.
While generally well-regarded, his work was not without its critics. One contemporary review of a self-portrait, for instance, noted it as "strict and correct, but lacking in truth of color and correctness of the obscure," suggesting that some found his adherence to classical drawing perhaps too dominant over a more purely painterly or naturalistic approach to color and light. Such critiques, however, were minor compared to the general esteem in which he was held.
Today, Friedrich Preller the Elder is recognized as a key representative of Weimar Classicism's later phase and an important figure in German Romantic landscape painting. His "Odyssey" cycle in the Neues Museum Weimar remains his most enduring legacy, a powerful example of 19th-century monumental painting that continues to captivate visitors. His works are held in numerous public collections, including the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg, and various museums in Weimar and Thuringia.
Conclusion
Friedrich Preller the Elder carved a distinctive path in 19th-century German art. Deeply influenced by Goethe and the classical tradition, he nevertheless embraced the Romantic era's passion for nature and emotional expression. His landscapes, whether depicting the Arcadian beauty of Italy, the sublime wilderness of Norway, or the heroic narratives of Homer, are characterized by a harmonious blend of meticulous observation, idealized form, and evocative atmosphere. Through his extensive oeuvre, particularly the "Odyssey" cycle, and his long tenure as an influential teacher, Preller left an indelible mark on the artistic landscape of his time, securing his place as a significant master of the German Romantic-Classical tradition. His dedication to elevating landscape painting through historical and mythological subject matter ensured his works resonated with the intellectual and cultural aspirations of his era.
