German
Philipp Otto Runge
Nationality: German
Lifespan: 1777– 1819
Philipp Otto Runge, born on July 23, 1777, was a distinguished Romantic German painter and draughtsman. Despite his late start and early death, Runge is celebrated as one of the finest German Romantic painters. He was born in Wolgast, Western Pomerania, then under Swedish rule, into a family with shipbuilding background and ties to the Prussian nobility of Sypniewski / von Runge family.
As a child, Runge was often ill and missed school, during which time he learned the art of scissor-cut silhouettes from his mother, a skill he practiced throughout his life. In 1795, he began a commercial apprenticeship in Hamburg with his older brother Daniel. His brother later financially supported his study of painting under Jens Juel at the Copenhagen Academy, starting in 1799.
In 1801, Runge moved to Dresden to continue his studies, meeting influential figures like Caspar David Friedrich, Ludwig Tieck, and his future wife Pauline Bassenge. It was also here that he delved into the writings of the mystic Jakob Boehme. A significant turn in his career was his unexpected meeting with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1803 in Weimar, which sparked a friendship centered on their shared interests in color and art.
Runge married in 1804 and moved to Hamburg. Facing the Napoleonic siege of Hamburg, he and his wife moved to Wolgast in 1805, staying until 1807. During this period, his correspondence with Goethe about art and color theory intensified. He developed the concept of the color sphere in 1807, and in 1808, he focused more on color theory, including disk color mixture experiments.
Runge published versions of the folk fairy tales "The Fisherman and His Wife" and "The Almond Tree", later included among the tales of the Brothers Grimm. His major work, "Farben-Kugel" (Color Sphere), was published in 1810. During his final year, battling tuberculosis, he painted self-portraits, family portraits, and a portrait of his brother Daniel.
Runge's work was deeply imbued with mysticism and Christian symbolism, linking colors to religious concepts. He planned a series of paintings titled "The Times of the Day", combining art with music and poetry, embodying the Romantic ideal of a "total art". Although he only completed two versions of "Morning" (Kunsthalle, Hamburg), these works signified a new type of landscape painting infused with religion and emotion. Runge passed away on December 2, 1810, leaving behind a legacy of innovation in art and color theory.
As a child, Runge was often ill and missed school, during which time he learned the art of scissor-cut silhouettes from his mother, a skill he practiced throughout his life. In 1795, he began a commercial apprenticeship in Hamburg with his older brother Daniel. His brother later financially supported his study of painting under Jens Juel at the Copenhagen Academy, starting in 1799.
In 1801, Runge moved to Dresden to continue his studies, meeting influential figures like Caspar David Friedrich, Ludwig Tieck, and his future wife Pauline Bassenge. It was also here that he delved into the writings of the mystic Jakob Boehme. A significant turn in his career was his unexpected meeting with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1803 in Weimar, which sparked a friendship centered on their shared interests in color and art.
Runge married in 1804 and moved to Hamburg. Facing the Napoleonic siege of Hamburg, he and his wife moved to Wolgast in 1805, staying until 1807. During this period, his correspondence with Goethe about art and color theory intensified. He developed the concept of the color sphere in 1807, and in 1808, he focused more on color theory, including disk color mixture experiments.
Runge published versions of the folk fairy tales "The Fisherman and His Wife" and "The Almond Tree", later included among the tales of the Brothers Grimm. His major work, "Farben-Kugel" (Color Sphere), was published in 1810. During his final year, battling tuberculosis, he painted self-portraits, family portraits, and a portrait of his brother Daniel.
Runge's work was deeply imbued with mysticism and Christian symbolism, linking colors to religious concepts. He planned a series of paintings titled "The Times of the Day", combining art with music and poetry, embodying the Romantic ideal of a "total art". Although he only completed two versions of "Morning" (Kunsthalle, Hamburg), these works signified a new type of landscape painting infused with religion and emotion. Runge passed away on December 2, 1810, leaving behind a legacy of innovation in art and color theory.
