Oswald Achenbach Biography | Oil Painting Reproductions

Oswald Achenbach at eight years old enlisted in the elementary class of the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf Art Academy. This was disregarding the Academy's bylaws, which required no less than an age of twelve.

In 1843, the sixteen-year-old Oswald Achenbach continued his nature studies by a journey of many months through upper Bavaria and North Tyrol. His earliest known works in oil originated from this period. A few years later, Oswald Achenbach alongside his companion and later understudy Albert Flamm journeyed to northern Italy.

In 1850, within the exhibitions of the new Düsseldorf gallery, he displays his paintings. The gallery showed the works of artists who were autonomous of the Academy. This played a very important role in Achenbach's early economic success. That year, he and his companion Flamm, set out to Rome and into the encompassing countryside to visit areas where prior landscape painters had been inspired. On the excursion, he became acquainted with numerous different painters, including Arnold Böcklin, Ludwig Thiersch, and Heinrich Dreber.

By this point, Achenbach's artistic creations were known internationally. In 1852, at only 25, the Art Academy in Amsterdam admitted him as a member.

After 1860, his technique underwent a modification and became a more developed style. In elements of some paintings, Oswald Achenb dispensed with elaborated figures. this alteration in technique might have to do with the influence of Gustave Courbet.

In March 1863, Oswald Achenbach became the professor of landscape painting at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf Art Academy, the same place where he was an understudy 28 years prior. Accepting it represented a social elevation and additionally, monetary security. To his understudies, he stressed the decisive role of light and dark in the arrangement of compositions. For him, it was more critical than the decision of a subject. Thus he suggested his students acquaint themselves with the compositions of J.M.W. Turner. That same year, Achenbach was named a Knight of the Legion of Honor by Napoleon III and from 1863 to 1868 the Salon in Paris shows his paintings. His sibling Andreas Achenbach was likewise a painter.

Look at our THEN & NOW photo section. See, the present-day location that inspired the famous artist Oswald Achenbach. We travel the world to find the exact location where the artist set up his easel to paint, and photograph it as it appears today. Now, you can compare side-by-side photos of the original oil painting and the present-day location. In addition, we have taken his paintings and using TILT-SHIFT Photography, have created a unique new interpretation of the museum masterpieces.

Art Movement History: Realism Art.
Artists Influencing Oswald Achenbach: Johann Schirmer, Carl Rottman, Gustave Courbet, Arnold Bocklin, Ludwig Thiersch, Heinrich Dreber, J.M. William Turner.
He Traveled To Italy, France, Netherlands, Russia.
Painters Oswald Achenbach Influenced: Albert Flamm, Gregor von Bochmann, Arthur Calame, Themistokles von Eckenbrecher, Arnold Forstmann, Theodor Hagen, Louis Kolitz, Ascan Lutteroth, Karl Seibel.
Artist's Biography compiled by Albert L. Mansour at The World's Artist, with text adapted from Wikipedia.