Johann Georg Bergmüller
Encyclopedia
Johann Georg Bergmüller (15 April 1688 – 2 April 1762) was an important painter, particularly of fresco
es, of the Baroque
.
near Buchloe
(now in Bavaria
) and received his first artistic education at his father's cabinet making
workshop. From 1702 until 1708 he was apprentice to court painter Johann Andreas Wolff in Munich
. In 1711 he went on cultural journey to the Netherlands
in order to broaden his horizon. He became master painter and received the citizenship of Augsburg
in 1711. In the same year he married Barbara Kreutzerin with whom he had ten children, one of which, Johann Baptist Konrad Bergmüller, became a fresco painter too, and also a renowned copperplate engraver and art theorist.
Bergmüller quickly acquired a high reputation in Augsburg and created works of art, few of which have survived however. He became the most important teacher of fresco painting at the Imperial City of Augsburg Academy, founded in 1710. His style of composition and his motifs were influential on his pupils. In 1723 he published Anthropometria, a textbook on the theory of proportions. He became the Catholic director of the academy alongside his Protestant counterpart, in 1730 and remained in this function until his death in Augsburg in 1762.
His most famous pupils were Johann Georg Wolker Gottfried Bernhard Goetz and Johann Evangelist Holzer
.
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es, of the Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
.
Life
Bergmüller was born in TürkheimTürkheim
Türkheim is a municipality in the district of Unterallgäu in Bavaria, Germany. The neighboring places of Türkheim are Ettringen, Berg, Rammingen, Irsingen, Wiedergeltingen and Amberg. The administrative collectivity of Türkheim administrate Türkheim and Irsingen....
near Buchloe
Buchloe
Buchloe is a community raised to city status in 1954, lying in Ostallgäu district in Bavaria. Together with the neighbouring communities of Jengen, Lamerdingen and Waal, Buchloe belongs to the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft of Buchloe.-Geography and transport:Buchloe lies right on Bundesautobahn 96 ...
(now in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
) and received his first artistic education at his father's cabinet making
Cabinet making
Cabinet making is the practice of using various woodworking skills to create cabinets, shelving and furniture.Cabinet making involves techniques such as creating appropriate joints, dados, bevels, chamfers and shelving systems, the use of finishing tools such as routers to create decorative...
workshop. From 1702 until 1708 he was apprentice to court painter Johann Andreas Wolff in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. In 1711 he went on cultural journey to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in order to broaden his horizon. He became master painter and received the citizenship of Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
in 1711. In the same year he married Barbara Kreutzerin with whom he had ten children, one of which, Johann Baptist Konrad Bergmüller, became a fresco painter too, and also a renowned copperplate engraver and art theorist.
Bergmüller quickly acquired a high reputation in Augsburg and created works of art, few of which have survived however. He became the most important teacher of fresco painting at the Imperial City of Augsburg Academy, founded in 1710. His style of composition and his motifs were influential on his pupils. In 1723 he published Anthropometria, a textbook on the theory of proportions. He became the Catholic director of the academy alongside his Protestant counterpart, in 1730 and remained in this function until his death in Augsburg in 1762.
His most famous pupils were Johann Georg Wolker Gottfried Bernhard Goetz and Johann Evangelist Holzer
Johann Evangelist Holzer
Johann Evangelist Holzer was an Austrian-German painter.Holzer was born in Burgeis, Mals, in the Vinschgau Valley of South Tyrol, as the son of a miller...
.
Works
- 1710: ceiling frescoes in Kreuzpullach near Munich
- 1721: fresco-cycle at St Mary's Chapel (designed by EichstättEichstättEichstätt is a town in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the District of Eichstätt. It is located along the Altmühl River, at , and had a population of 13,078 in 2002. It is home to the Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, the lone Catholic university in Germany. The...
court architect Gabriel de Gabrieli in Augsburg Cathedral - 1721: Sacred HeartSacred HeartThe Sacred Heart is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of His divine love for Humanity....
fresco-cycle at monastery church, Eichstätt - altar painting at DominicanDominican OrderThe Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
Church St Peter, Eichstätt - altar painting at JesuitSociety of JesusThe Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
Church, Eichstätt - altar painting at parish and monastery church St WalpurgaSaint WalpurgaSaint Walpurga or Walburga , also spelled Valderburg or Guibor, was an English missionary to the Frankish Empire. She was canonized on 1 May ca. 870 by Pope Adrian II...
, Eichstätt - 1727 - 1729: frescoes in abbey church St George at Ochsenhausen AbbeyOchsenhausen AbbeyOchsenhausen Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Ochsenhausen in the district of Biberach in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.- History :...
- 1736: frescoes in Dießen am AmmerseeDießen am AmmerseeDießen am Ammersee is a municipality in the district of Landsberg in Bavaria in Germany.-References:...
- altar paintings at parish church AulzhausenAulzhausenAulzhausen is a village in the municipality Affing near Augsburg in the district of Aichach-Friedberg, in Swabia - Bavaria, southern Germany.Partnership:Parish Aulzhausen and Parish Łobez , since 1994...
Authorship
- Johann Georg Bergmüller: Anthropometria, Augsburg 1723
- His authorship of some paintings (side altars) thanks to restoration work at Guardian Angel Church in Eichstätt has been called into question .
Further reading
- DaCosta Kaufmann, Thomas (1979). Court, Cloister, and City: The Art and Culture of Central Europe, 1450-1800. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-22-642730-7
- Epple, Alois (ed.) (1988). Johann Georg Bergmüller, 1688-1762. Zur 300. Wiederkehr seines Geburtsjahres. Ausstellung im Schloß Türkheim. Weißenhorn: A.H. Konrad. ISBN 3-87-437268-5.
- Kaltenbrunner, Regina (ed.) (2004). Johann Georg Bergmüller: 1688 - 1762, die Zeichnungen. Salzburg: Salzburger Barockmuseum. ISBN 3-90-192529-5.
