Düsseldorf School of painting Facts for Kids

The Düsseldorf School of painting was a group of artists who taught or studied at the Düsseldorf Art Academy in Germany. This art movement lasted for about a hundred years, from around 1819 to 1918. It was first led by the painter Wilhelm von Schadow.

What is the Düsseldorf School?

The artists of the Düsseldorf School were known for their beautiful and detailed landscapes. These paintings often included religious or story-like scenes within the natural settings. They liked to paint "plein air", which means painting outdoors to capture the light and colors of nature directly. Their paintings often used calm and soft colors.

This art style was a big part of the German Romantic movement. This movement focused on emotion, nature, and individual experiences. Some important artists from the Düsseldorf School included von Schadow, Karl Friedrich Lessing, Johann Wilhelm Schirmer, Andreas Achenbach, Hans Fredrik Gude, Adolph Tidemand, Oswald Achenbach, and Adolf Schrödter.

The Düsseldorf School had a big impact on the Hudson River School in the United States. Many American artists studied at the Düsseldorf Academy and were influenced by this style. These artists included George Caleb Bingham, David Edward Cronin, Eastman Johnson, Worthington Whittredge, Richard Caton Woodville, William Stanley Haseltine, James McDougal Hart, Helen Searle, and William Morris Hunt. A German artist named Emanuel Leutze, who moved to America, was also part of this group. Albert Bierstadt tried to join but wasn't accepted. His American friend Worthington Whittredge then became his teacher in Düsseldorf.