Bernhard Rode
Encyclopedia
Bernhard Rode was a Prussian
artist
and engraver well-known for portraying historical
scenes and allegorical works. He knew most of the central figures in the Berlin Enlightenment as Friedrich Nicolai and Gotthold Lessing, and the philosophical and political discussions of the Berlin Philosophs informed much of the subject matter of his artistic work. His paintings include several works depicting, in various guises, the King of Prussia Frederick the Great, who ruled the Prussia during much of Rode's lifetime. Rode was director of the Berlin Academy of the Arts from 1783 until his death in 1797.
Christian Bernhard Rode and his wife, Anna Sophie. The copper engraver Johann Heinrich Rode and the sculptor Philipp Rode were his brothers. He received his earliest artistic training from his father and his earliest training in drawing from a painter, N. Müller. His four-year education at the studio of the court painter Antoine Pesne
, an influential painter in Berlin and Brandenburg, was important to his professional development. During his apprenticeship, he learned to paint portraits. In 1748, Rode began a study trip of several years. He spent 18 months in the studio of Jean Restout
and Charles André van Loo (sometimes known as Carle van Loo or Vanloo). He became acquainted with Jean-Baptiste Deshayes and developed his talent and interest in the medium of history painting
. In Venice and Rome, he studied the old masters. In 1755 or 1756, he returned to Berlin, and he married Sophie Luise, but the earliest years of their marriage remained childless. of his earliest years in Berlin, not much more is known.
, in Berlin-Mitte. He also portrayed a fictional version of the Emperor of China
in a series of paintings.
Because he had studied at the Academy of Art, he regularly received instruction from the director, Blaise Nicholas Le Sueur
and Daniel Chodowiecki
. Beginning in 1785, he developed a health problem, although he remained active until shortly before his death. Upon his death in 1797, he was buried in the cemetery of the Saint Nicholas and Saint Mara parishes, in Berlin's Königsstadt, where he had donated much of the artwork.
Beginning in 1756, Rode belonged to the Berlin Academy of the Arts. In 1783 he followed Le Sueurs as director of the academy. In 1783, his long-time friend, Daniel Chodowiecki, also a member of the Academy, supported the appointment, and suggested a new undertaking. He and his colleagues at the Academy hoped to take the Academy in a new direction, and suggested a ten-year project, under the name "Soldier King" (German: Soldatenkönig). The project received support from Frederick II's nephew and heir, Frederick William II
. In the course of the project, Rode painted several historical depictions of the Soldier King, Frederick the Great. These were displayed in a special exhibit in 1795. Chodowiecki himself took over the important post of the Academy director after Rode's death in 1797 when, under the patronage of Frederick William II, he became the director of the Academy.
the Philosoph Johann Georg Sulzer
and Thomas Abbt
and also Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
and Moses Mendelssohn
. They pursued literary and literary interests, often linked with the goal of civil emancipation; at the same time, they were loyal and patriotic to the State of Prussia. The union of the civil enlightenment and the state of Prussia and its King bespoke their underlying national goals, and the advancement of German language and literature. Although he did not belong to the innermost circle of this intellectual company, many were Rode's close friends and among them he developed the goals and basis of his work.
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and engraver well-known for portraying historical
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...
scenes and allegorical works. He knew most of the central figures in the Berlin Enlightenment as Friedrich Nicolai and Gotthold Lessing, and the philosophical and political discussions of the Berlin Philosophs informed much of the subject matter of his artistic work. His paintings include several works depicting, in various guises, the King of Prussia Frederick the Great, who ruled the Prussia during much of Rode's lifetime. Rode was director of the Berlin Academy of the Arts from 1783 until his death in 1797.
Family and early training
Rode was the son of a goldsmithGoldsmith
A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Since ancient times the techniques of a goldsmith have evolved very little in order to produce items of jewelry of quality standards. In modern times actual goldsmiths are rare...
Christian Bernhard Rode and his wife, Anna Sophie. The copper engraver Johann Heinrich Rode and the sculptor Philipp Rode were his brothers. He received his earliest artistic training from his father and his earliest training in drawing from a painter, N. Müller. His four-year education at the studio of the court painter Antoine Pesne
Antoine Pesne
Antoine Pesne was the court painter of Prussia. Starting in the manner of baroque, he became one of the fathers of rococo in painting....
, an influential painter in Berlin and Brandenburg, was important to his professional development. During his apprenticeship, he learned to paint portraits. In 1748, Rode began a study trip of several years. He spent 18 months in the studio of Jean Restout
Jean II Restout
Jean II Restout was a French painter, whose late baroque classicism rendered his altarpieces, such as the Death of Saint Scholastica an "isolated achievement" that ran counter to his rococo contemporaries.-Biography:...
and Charles André van Loo (sometimes known as Carle van Loo or Vanloo). He became acquainted with Jean-Baptiste Deshayes and developed his talent and interest in the medium of 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...
. In Venice and Rome, he studied the old masters. In 1755 or 1756, he returned to Berlin, and he married Sophie Luise, but the earliest years of their marriage remained childless. of his earliest years in Berlin, not much more is known.
Career
Through a life's pension of the estate of his father, Rode was financially independent, especially important in these years as he established himself professionally and artistically. Through this pension, Rode could explore techniques, themes and formats on his own time, rather than be constrained by the demands of a patron. He painted and donated the Altar pictures for his parish, which today are in the MarienkircheSt. Mary's Church, Berlin
St. Mary's Church, known in German as the Marienkirche, is a church in Berlin, Germany. The church is located on Karl-Liebknecht-Straße in central Berlin, near Alexanderplatz. Its exact age is not known, but it was first mentioned in German chronicles in 1292. It is presumed to date from earlier...
, in Berlin-Mitte. He also portrayed a fictional version of the Emperor of China
Emperor of China
The Emperor of China refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning between the founding of Qin Dynasty of China, united by the King of Qin in 221 BCE, and the fall of Yuan Shikai's Empire of China in 1916. When referred to as the Son of Heaven , a title that predates the Qin unification, the...
in a series of paintings.
Because he had studied at the Academy of Art, he regularly received instruction from the director, Blaise Nicholas Le Sueur
Blaise Nicholas Le Sueur
Blaise Nicholas Le Sueur, 1716–1783, German painter and engraver of allegorical and historical subjects. As director of the Berlin Academy of Art, he was influential in the development of the landscape painter Jacob Philipp Hackert and historical painter Bernhard Rode...
and Daniel Chodowiecki
Daniel Chodowiecki
Daniel Niklaus Chodowiecki was a Polish - German painter and printmaker with Huguenot ancestry, who is most famous as an etcher...
. Beginning in 1785, he developed a health problem, although he remained active until shortly before his death. Upon his death in 1797, he was buried in the cemetery of the Saint Nicholas and Saint Mara parishes, in Berlin's Königsstadt, where he had donated much of the artwork.
Beginning in 1756, Rode belonged to the Berlin Academy of the Arts. In 1783 he followed Le Sueurs as director of the academy. In 1783, his long-time friend, Daniel Chodowiecki, also a member of the Academy, supported the appointment, and suggested a new undertaking. He and his colleagues at the Academy hoped to take the Academy in a new direction, and suggested a ten-year project, under the name "Soldier King" (German: Soldatenkönig). The project received support from Frederick II's nephew and heir, Frederick William II
Frederick William II of Prussia
Frederick William II was the King of Prussia, reigning from 1786 until his death. He was in personal union the Prince-Elector of Brandenburg and the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel.-Early life:...
. In the course of the project, Rode painted several historical depictions of the Soldier King, Frederick the Great. These were displayed in a special exhibit in 1795. Chodowiecki himself took over the important post of the Academy director after Rode's death in 1797 when, under the patronage of Frederick William II, he became the director of the Academy.
Place in the Berlin Enlightenment
Central to the Berlin Enlightenment, in 1750 he was part of a learned society of friends, including the publisher and bookseller Friedrich Nicolai – the poet and philosopher Karl Wilhelm RamlerKarl Wilhelm Ramler
Karl Wilhelm Ramler was a German poet.Ramler was born in Kolberg. After graduating from the University of Halle, he went to Berlin, where, in 1748, he was appointed professor of logic and literature at the cadet school...
the Philosoph Johann Georg Sulzer
Johann Georg Sulzer
Johann Georg Sulzer was a Swiss professor of Mathematics, who later on moved on to the field of electricity. He was a Wolffian philosopher and director of the philosophical section of the Berlin Academy of Sciences....
and Thomas Abbt
Thomas Abbt
Thomas Abbt was a German mathematician and writer.Born in Ulm, Abbt visited a secondary school in Ulm, then moved in 1756 to study theology, philosophy and mathematics at the University of Halle, receiving a Magister degree in 1758...
and also Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing was a German writer, philosopher, dramatist, publicist, and art critic, and one of the most outstanding representatives of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the development of German literature...
and Moses Mendelssohn
Moses Mendelssohn
Moses Mendelssohn was a German Jewish philosopher to whose ideas the renaissance of European Jews, Haskalah is indebted...
. They pursued literary and literary interests, often linked with the goal of civil emancipation; at the same time, they were loyal and patriotic to the State of Prussia. The union of the civil enlightenment and the state of Prussia and its King bespoke their underlying national goals, and the advancement of German language and literature. Although he did not belong to the innermost circle of this intellectual company, many were Rode's close friends and among them he developed the goals and basis of his work.