Cornelius, Peter von

Cornelius, Peter von, 1783–1867, German painter. He studied at Düsseldorf and in Rome, where he joined the German Nazarene group and collaborated with other members in the decoration of the Casa Bartoldy. In 1820 he was commissioned by Louis I of Bavaria to paint the fresco decorations in the Glyptothek, Munich. The Last Judgment was one of his fresco decorations for the Ludwigskirche, Munich. Cornelius believed that art should express noble ideals, and he disdained to work from nature. His favorite themes were religious or philosophical. In addition to his painting, Cornelius produced illustrations for Faust and the Nibelungenlied and designs for the decoration of the royal mausoleum, done for Frederick William II of Prussia.

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Cornelius, Peter von 

Born Sept. 23, 1783, in Dusseldorf; died Mar. 6, 1867, in Berlin. German painter.

Cornelius attended the Arts Academy in Diisseldorf (from 1795) and was a member of the Nazarene group in Rome from 1811 to 1819. He was director of the Diisseldorf Arts Academy from 1821, the Munich Arts Academy from 1825, and the Berlin Academy of Arts from 1841. He is one of the main representatives of German romanticism. His pictures, painted in a linear and graphic manner, were on subjects from ancient and medieval history, biblical scenes, and allegories and were marked by deep feeling (frescoes in the Glyptothek, 1820–30, and in the Ludwigskirche, 1829–40; all in Munich).

REFERENCE

Koetschau, K. Peter Cornelius in seiner Vollendung. Diisseldorf, 1934.