LENBACH, FRANZ VON (1836-1904), German painter, was born at Schrobenhausen, in Bavaria, on Dec. 13, 1836. His father was a mason, and the boy was intended to follow his father's trade. With this view he was sent to school at Lands berg, and then to the polytechnic at Augsburg. However, when he had seen the galleries of Augsburg and Munich, he obtained his father's permission to become an artist, and worked for a short time in the studio of Grafle, the painter; after this he devoted much time to copying. Thus he was already accomplished in tech nique when he became the pupil of Piloty. In 1856 he painted the "Shepherd Boy" (Schack Gallery, Munich). In 1858 he ac companied Piloty to Italy. A few interesting works remain as the outcome of this first journey—"A Peasant seeking Shelter from Bad Weather" (1858) and "The Arch of Titus" (Palfy col lection, Budapest). By these early works which were painted from nature and which were attacked for their "trivial realism" he paved the way for the realistic movement in Germany. On returning to Munich, he was at once called to Weimar to take the appointment of professor at the Academy. But he did not hold
it long, having made the acquaintance of Count Schack, who com missioned a great number of copies for his collection. Lenbach returned to Italy the same year, and there copied many famous pictures. He set out in 1867 for Spain, where he copied not only the famous pictures by Velasquez in the Prado, but also some landscapes in the museums of Granada and the Alhambra (1868). But he is best known for his portraits. At a time when idealized and effeminate portraits were the fashion, he succeeded in be coming the most favoured portrait painter in Germany by his powerful interpretations of men of strong character. He counted among his sitters the greatest men of his time; his portraits of Bismarck are famous. He painted the emperor William I., Richard Wagner, Franz Lizst, Paul Heyse, Wilhelm Busch, Moritz Schwind, Helmholtz, Gladstone, Minghetti, Morelli.
See K. Knackfuss, Lenbach, and Franz von Lenbach Bildnisse ( 'goo) .