VISCHER, FRIEDRICH THEODOR (1807-1887), Ger man writer on the philosophy of art, was born at Ludwigsburg on June 3o, 1807, the son of a clergyman. He was educated at Tubingen, and began life in his father's profession. In 1835 he became Privatdozent in aesthetics and German literature at his old university, was advanced in 1837 to extraordinary professor, and in 1844 to full professor. In consequence, however, of his outspoken inaugural address, he was suspended for two years by the Wurttemberg government, and in his enforced leisure wrote the first two volumes of his Aesthetik oder Wissenschaft des SchOnen (1846), the fourth and last volume of which did not appear till 1857. Vischer threw himself heartily into the great Ger man political movement of 1848-49, and shared the disappoint ment of patriotic democrats at its failure. In 1855 he became professor at Zurich. In 1866, his fame being now established, he was invited back to Germany with a professorship at Tubingen combined with a post at the Polytechnikum of Stuttgart. He died
at Gmunden on Sept. 14, 1887.
Vischer was not an original thinker, and his monumental Aesthetik, in spite of industry and learning, has not the higher qualities of success. Still, he had a thorough knowledge of every branch of art except music, and much valuable material is buried in his volumes.
His writings include literary essays collected under the titles Kritische Gange and Altes and Neues, poems, an excellent critical study of Goethe's Faust (1875), and a successful novel, Auch Einer (1878; 25th ed., 1904).
See 0. Keindl, F. T. Vischer, Erinnerungsblatter (i888) ; J. E. von Giinthert, F. T. Vischer, ein Charakterbild (1888) ; I. Frapan, Vischer Erinnerungen (1889) ; T. Ziegler F. T. Vischer (Vortrag) (1893) ; J. G. Oswald, F. T. Vischer als Dichter (1896).