LENBACH, len'bau. FRANZ VON (153G-1904). A German portrait painter, the greatest of the nineteenth century. He was born at schroben hausen. in Upper Bavaria. December 13, 1536. When a he worked as an apprentice to his father, a master mason. His first artistic effects were all taken directly from nature, and a brief period of study at the Polytechnic School of _Augsburg only served to instill in him a lifelong hatred for art academies. Two months' work under Crane at Munich increased this dislike. Ile worked for himself in his native village until in 1857 lie became a pupil of Piloty at Munich. His first work to attract attention was "Peas ants Taking Refuge from a Storm in a Chapel" (1857). now in the Magdeburg Museum. It reveals the influence of Piloty, but contains a powerful naturalism unknown to that master. During the same year he accompanied Piloty to, Italy, where he had occasion to study more thor oughly the old masters. whom he already re vered. One of the results of this journey was his "Arch of Titus." in 1S5S. now in the Museum of Pressburg. the vivid realism of which caused much commotion. Equally powerful is his "Shep herd Boy" (1860). in the Schack collection. Mu nich. 1860 he was called. together with 136ck lin and Reinhold to teach in the new art school at Weimar, but remained only a year and a half.
The most important influence in the formation of his style was his commission from Baron Schack to copy works of Titian. Ruben,. Velaz quez. and other masters for his gallery at Munich. In 1863 he was sent to Italy. and in 1867 to. Spain. By time study of these masters he acquired hi- brilliant coloring. After his return to Munich in 1865 he devoted himself entirely to portrai ture, which he had lone recotrnized a; his chief strength. and soon became the most famous por traitist of Germany. From 1872 to 1S74 he re sided in Vienna. where he was held in highest esteem, and painted the Emperor and other Aus trian notables. In 1875-76 he visited Egypt. and after that time resided at Munich. Many of his winters, after 1882, were passed at Rome, where he was the centre of a brilliant artistic circle, and portrayed the Pope, Queen Margherita. and Min ister _slinglietti (1885, Dresden). He received gold medals at Paris (1875), Munich (1 Sti9, 1879), and Vienna (1882), and many orders, and honors, and an honorary doctorate was conferred on him by the University of Halle.
Lenbacli's work in the beginning was as frankly realistic as that of Courbet, but his realism was softened and idealized by study of the old mas ters. His first portraits resemble Rembrandt's in
the treatment of life and in characterization. He was a great admirer of but neither Ru bens nor Velazquez seems to have influenced him as much as Titian. The old masters, however, never affected the individuality of his work. He excelled especially in characterization. Knowing thoroughly his sitter, lie portrayed him in the flitting moment which showed to the fullest ex tent the painter's conception of his character. His conception, though a high one. was always true. His color was harmonious and pleasing; he was a fine brushman, and knew just what to emphasize. Only the head and eyes were fin ished: the hands and dress much less so: and there were no accessories. At first famous for male portraits, in later life he succeeded also with women. Children he painted only after the birth of his own little girl. whom lie portrayed many times and with great charm.
His best-known portraits are probably his nu merous representations of Bismarck. The best examples of these portraits are in the National Gallery of Berlin, the New Pinakothek at Munich, and in the galleries of Hamburg and Leipzig, and elsewhere. His portraits of the Emperor William I. are also numerous. Among his other sitters were Count von Moltke. the Emperor Frederick Ill. as Crown Prince, Pope Leo XIII. ( 1SS5, New Pinakothek, Munich). Count Schack, Gladstone, Diillinger, Bishop Strossmayer. Delbrtick, Rich ard Wagner, Franz Lis?t, Helmholtz. Paul Hesse, Johann Strauss, Hans von Biilow. and Hermann Levi. His latest works include portraits of Mrs. Marion Crawford. Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria, the Imperial Chancellor Hohen lobe-Schillingsffirst, the historian Mommsen, and the architect Gabriel Seidel. The best known of his portraits of himself are those of 1865, in the Schack gallery at Munich, in the manner of Rembrandt, and that of 1895. in which the artist rivals Titian himself. Consult: Wyl. "Franz von Lenbachs Erziihlungen aus seinem Leben," in Deutsche Revue, 1897. com posed chiefly of conversations with Lenbach; Rosenberg, "Lenbach," in Kiinstler Monographic% (Bielefeld, 1S9S). Hi's portraits have been pro duced in lieliogravure under the title, Franz con Lenbachs zeitgentissiselie Bildnisse (Munich, 1891-96).