Alexander von Wagner
Encyclopedia
Alexander originally Sándor von Wagner (April 16, 1838 – January 19, 1919) was a Hungarian
painter.
in his hometown at the age of nineteen, he entered the Academy of Fine Arts
at Vienna
, where he was a student of Henrik Weber. The following year, he switched to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and was taught by Professor Karl von Piloty
from 1856 to 1864. From 1869 to 1910 he was professor in history painting
at the Munich Academy. His themes were history paintings and Hungarian life scenes in particular. A portrait of Von Wagner painted by Franz Lachner
belongs to the collection of the Gebrüder-Lachner-Museum in Rain since 2003. Among his students were Pál Szinyei Merse
, Emil Wiesel
, Anton Ažbe
, Franciszek Żmurko
.
Von Wagner died in Munich, where he is buried in the Old Southern Cemeterey
.
His most famous work is Chariot Race (now at the Manchester Art Gallery), which he painted for the Vienna Exposition and then expanded to a larger size for the Centennial Exposition. The painting depicts the close of a chariot
race in the Circus Maximus
in Ancient Rome
, presided over by Emperor Domitian
. Another famous work was a round panorama of old Rome
, titled Das alte Rom mit dem Triumphzuge Kaiser Constantin’s im Jahre 312 n.Chr., which he painted in cooperation with Josef Bühlmann in Munich in 1888. The painting was destroyed, and repainted by Yadegar Asisi in the Leipzig Panometer
.
Further works (selection)
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
painter.
Biography
Wagner was born in Pesth. After graduating from the Real-GymnasiumGymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in his hometown at the age of nineteen, he entered the Academy of Fine Arts
Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna is an institution of higher education in Vienna, Austria.- History :The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna was founded in 1692 as a private academy by the court-painter Peter Strudl, who became the Praefectus Academiae Nostrae. In 1701 he was ennobled as Baron of the Empire...
at Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, where he was a student of Henrik Weber. The following year, he switched to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and was taught by Professor Karl von Piloty
Karl von Piloty
Karl Theodor von Piloty was a German painter.Von Piloty was born in Munich. His father, Ferdinand Piloty , enjoyed a great reputation as a lithographer. In 1840, Karl was admitted as a student of the Munich Academy, under the artists Karl Schorn and Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld...
from 1856 to 1864. From 1869 to 1910 he was professor in history painting
History painting
History painting is a genre in painting defined by subject matter rather than an artistic style, depicting a moment in a narrative story, rather than a static subject such as a portrait...
at the Munich Academy. His themes were history paintings and Hungarian life scenes in particular. A portrait of Von Wagner painted by Franz Lachner
Franz Lachner
Franz Paul Lachner was a German composer and conductor.Lachner was born in Rain am Lech to a musical family . He studied music with Simon Sechter and Maximilian, the Abbé Stadler. He conducted at the Theater am Kärntnertor in Vienna. In 1834, he became Kapellmeister at Mannheim...
belongs to the collection of the Gebrüder-Lachner-Museum in Rain since 2003. Among his students were Pál Szinyei Merse
Pál Szinyei Merse
Pál Szinyei Merse was a Hungarian painter and politician.Born in Szinyeújfalu, Hungary , he learned painting at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich under Karl von Piloty. He was a friend of Wilhelm Leibl and Hans Makart...
, Emil Wiesel
Emil Wiesel
Emíl Wíesel – a painter, museum curator and a full member of the Imperial Academy of Arts, Russia , organizer of international art exhibitions, councilor of Hermitage and Russian museum, Legion of Honor holder; during soviet times he was an expert in Russian and Western fine arts and sculpture in...
, Anton Ažbe
Anton Ažbe
Anton Ažbe was a Slovene realist painter and teacher of painting.Ažbe, crippled since birth and orphaned at the age of 8, learned painting as an apprentice to Janez Wolf and at the Academies in Vienna and Munich. At the age of 30 Ažbe founded his own school of painting in Munich that became a...
, Franciszek Żmurko
Franciszek Zmurko
Franciszek Żmurko was a Polish painter. Zmurko began drawing lessons as a young boy in his hometown with the painter Franciszek Tepa. As an adolescent he moved to Krakow to study at the The Academy of Fine Arts where he had lessons from Jan Matejko...
.
Von Wagner died in Munich, where he is buried in the Old Southern Cemeterey
Alter Südfriedhof
The Alter Südfriedhof is a cemetery in Munich, Germany. It was founded by Duke Albrecht V as a plague cemetery in 1563 about half a kilometer south of the Sendlinger Gate between Thalkirchner and Pestalozzistraße.-History:...
.
Works
Chariot
The chariot is a type of horse carriage used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples. Ox carts, proto-chariots, were built by the Proto-Indo-Europeans and also built in Mesopotamia as early as 3000 BC. The original horse chariot was a fast, light, open, two wheeled...
race in the Circus Maximus
Circus Maximus
The Circus Maximus is an ancient Roman chariot racing stadium and mass entertainment venue located in Rome, Italy. Situated in the valley between the Aventine and Palatine hills, it was the first and largest stadium in ancient Rome and its later Empire...
in Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, presided over by Emperor Domitian
Domitian
Domitian was Roman Emperor from 81 to 96. Domitian was the third and last emperor of the Flavian dynasty.Domitian's youth and early career were largely spent in the shadow of his brother Titus, who gained military renown during the First Jewish-Roman War...
. Another famous work was a round panorama of old Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, titled Das alte Rom mit dem Triumphzuge Kaiser Constantin’s im Jahre 312 n.Chr., which he painted in cooperation with Josef Bühlmann in Munich in 1888. The painting was destroyed, and repainted by Yadegar Asisi in the Leipzig Panometer
Leipzig Panometer
The Leipzig Panometer is an attraction in Leipzig, Germany. It is a visual panorama displayed inside a former gasometer, accompanied by a thematic exhibition. The current theme is the Amazon Rainforest. The Panometer was created in 2003 by the Austrian-born artist Yadegar Asisi, who coined the...
.
Further works (selection)
- Titusz Dugovics opfert sich in der Schlacht um Belgrad (Titusz Dugovics Sacrifices himself in the Battle of Belgrade), 1859
- Königin Izabella's Abschied aus Transsylvanien (Queen Izabella's farewell from Transylvania)
- Markttag
- Mátyás besiegt Holubár (Mátyás defeats Holubár, fresco), Hungarian State Opera HouseHungarian State Opera HouseThe Hungarian State Opera House is a neo-Renaissance opera house located in central Budapest, on Andrássy út. It is home to the Budapest Opera Ball, a society event dating back to 1886.-History:...
, 1865 - Pferdetrieb auf der Hortobagyer Puszta in Ungarn, around 1880
- Das Wagenrennen, 1882, today in the Manchester Art Gallery
- Wagenrennen im Circus Maximus in Rom zur Zeit des Domitian
- Ungarisches Fuhrwerk
- decoration of the "Saal der Republiken" (hall of the republics), Hamburg RathausHamburg RathausThe Hamburg Rathaus is the Rathaus—the city hall or town hall—of Hamburg, Germany, it is the seat of the government of Hamburg, located in the Altstadt quarter in the city centre, near the lake Binnenalster and the central station...
, 1899 "Chariot Race"(Manchester Art GalleryManchester Art GalleryManchester Art Gallery is a publicly-owned art gallery in Manchester, England. It was formerly known as Manchester City Art Gallery.The gallery was opened in 1824 and today occupies three buildings, the oldest of which - designed by Sir Charles Barry - is Grade I listed and was originally home to...
, England)