Gottlob Friedrich Thormeyer
Encyclopedia
Gottlob Friedrich Thormeyer (23 October 1775 - 11 February 1842) was a German
representative of neoclassical architecture
.
parish. He started to study painting in very early years at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts under Giovanni Battista Casanova
, but changed to architecture in 1791. Friedrich August Krubsacius
and Gottlob August Hölzer were his professors there. Since 1800, he belonged to the royal staff as Hofbaukondukteur. Thormeyer created some well known drawings depicting sights of Dresden and its surrounding, e.g. Dom Meißen, Schloss Pillnitz
and Katholische Hofkirche
(drawn 1807). Many of them were later etched by Christian Gottlob Hammer
. Some neo-classical buildings arose in little towns and villages around Dresden, like the Vorwerk Kleindrebnitz.
appointed Thormeyer royal court architect in 1812. Afterwards, Thormeyer went on a study trip, which led him e.g. to Switzerland
and Italy
, thus avoiding direct involvement in the War of the Sixth Coalition
. The portrait above was drawn by Carl Christian Vogel von Vogelstein
during Thormeyer's stay 1813 in Rome
. Many of his works, however, are in close connection to this war:
, Thormeyer's best-known masterpiece. About 1823, Thormeyer accomplished the classicizing tower of the Annenkirche, a church of the late baroque era. Moreover, he initiated a memorial statue of Frederick Augustus I of Saxony, finally designed by Ernst Friedrich August Rietschel
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
representative of neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
.
Education and early work
Thormeyer was born in the Protestant KreuzkircheKreuzkirche
The Church of the Cross in Dresden is the largest church in Saxony, and home to the Dresdner Kreuzchor boy choir. Known since the early 12th century, it was officially dedicated on 10 June 1388 to the Holy Cross. Since 1491, it has burned down five times...
parish. He started to study painting in very early years at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts under Giovanni Battista Casanova
Giovanni Battista Casanova
Giovanni Battista Casanova was an Italian painter and printmaker of the Neoclassic period. He was a brother of Giacomo Casanova and Francesco Giuseppe Casanova and was born at Venice...
, but changed to architecture in 1791. Friedrich August Krubsacius
Friedrich August Krubsacius
Friedrich August Krubsacius was a German architect and architectural theoretician.He was born at Dresden. In 1755 he was made court architect to the Duchy of Saxony, in 1764 professor of architecture at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts and in 1776 chief architect of Saxony....
and Gottlob August Hölzer were his professors there. Since 1800, he belonged to the royal staff as Hofbaukondukteur. Thormeyer created some well known drawings depicting sights of Dresden and its surrounding, e.g. Dom Meißen, Schloss Pillnitz
Pillnitz Castle
Pillnitz Castle is a restored Baroque castle at the eastern end of the city of Dresden in the German state of Saxony. It is located on the bank of the River Elbe in the former village of Pillnitz...
and Katholische Hofkirche
Katholische Hofkirche
The Katholische Hofkirche is a Roman Catholic Cathedral, located in the 'Altstadt' in the heart of Dresden, in Germany. Previously the most important Catholic parish church of the city, it was elevated to cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dresden-Meissen in 1964.-Overview:The Hofkirche...
(drawn 1807). Many of them were later etched by Christian Gottlob Hammer
Christian Gottlob Hammer
Christian Gottlob Hammer, baptized as Gottlieb, , was an influential German landscape painter and engraver.-Personal:Hammer began his studies in 1794 at the Dresden University of Visual Arts....
. Some neo-classical buildings arose in little towns and villages around Dresden, like the Vorwerk Kleindrebnitz.
Traces of the War of the Sixth Coalition
King Frederick Augustus I of SaxonyFrederick Augustus I of Saxony
Frederick Augustus I was King of Saxony from the House of Wettin. He was also Elector Frederick Augustus III of Saxony and Duke Frederick Augustus I of Warsaw...
appointed Thormeyer royal court architect in 1812. Afterwards, Thormeyer went on a study trip, which led him e.g. to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, thus avoiding direct involvement in the War of the Sixth Coalition
War of the Sixth Coalition
In the War of the Sixth Coalition , a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and a number of German States finally defeated France and drove Napoleon Bonaparte into exile on Elba. After Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia, the continental powers...
. The portrait above was drawn by Carl Christian Vogel von Vogelstein
Carl Christian Vogel von Vogelstein
Carl Christian Vogel von Vogelstein , born Vogel, was a German painter.- Life :Son of the child and portrait painter Christian Leberecht Vogel, Vogel was trained early in life by his father...
during Thormeyer's stay 1813 in 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...
. Many of his works, however, are in close connection to this war:
- 1812: Etching of the decoration on occasion of the visit of Napoleon to Dresden
- 1814: Design of memorials for Jean Victor Moreau in Dresden and Theodor KörnerTheodor Körner (author)Karl Theodor Körner was a German poet and soldier. After some time in Vienna, where he wrote some light comedies and other works, he became a soldier and joined the German uprising against Napoleon...
in WöbbelinWöbbelinWöbbelin is a municipality in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The municipality has a seat in the office of Ludwigslust from where it is administered... - 1815 - 1818: Rebuilding of BischofswerdaBischofswerdaBischofswerda is a small town in Germany at the western edge of Upper Lusatia in Saxony.-Geography:The town is located 33 km to the east of Dresden at the edge of the Upper Lusatian mountain country. The town is known as the "Gateway to Upper Lusatia" - "Tor zur Oberlausitz" in German. It is...
, burned down during occupation by Napoleonic troops.
Reconstruction of Dresden
After the war, Thormeyer led the demolishing of the historical fortification in Dresden as architect in-chief. This reconstruction was finished in 1830, integrating the baroque city center with the surrounding and thus creating room for Dresden to grow rapidly during the following decades. In 1814, Russian governor Nikolai Grigorjewitsch Repnin Wolkonski ordered the long-planned outside-staircase to Brühl's TerraceBrühl's Terrace
Brühl's Terrace is a historic architectural ensemble in Dresden, Germany. Nicknamed "The Balcony of Europe", the terrace stretches high above the shore of the river Elbe in a city which is quite large as measured by area relative to its half a million inhabitants...
, Thormeyer's best-known masterpiece. About 1823, Thormeyer accomplished the classicizing tower of the Annenkirche, a church of the late baroque era. Moreover, he initiated a memorial statue of Frederick Augustus I of Saxony, finally designed by Ernst Friedrich August Rietschel
Ernst Friedrich August Rietschel
Ernst Friedrich August Rietschel was a German sculptor.-Biography:Rietschel was born in Pulsnitz, Saxony. At an early age he became an art student at Dresden, and subsequently a pupil of Rauch in Berlin. He there gained an art studentship, and studied in Rome in 1827-28...
.
External links
- http://wiki.olgdw.de/index.php?title=G._F._ThormeyerLexicon Upper LusatiaUpper LusatiaUpper Lusatia is a region a biggest part of which belongs to Saxony, a small eastern part belongs to Poland, the northern part to Brandenburg. In Saxony, Upper Lusatia comprises roughly the districts of Bautzen and Görlitz , in Brandenburg the southern part of district Oberspreewald-Lausitz...
n science society] - Objects referring to Thormeyer at EuropeanaEuropeanaEuropeana.eu is an internet portal that acts as an interface to millions of books, paintings, films, museum objects and archival records that have been digitised throughout Europe...
Further reading
- Georg Kaspar Nagler: Neues allgemeines Künstler-Lexicon. E. A. Fleischmann, 1848. pp. 387-388
- Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart: Unter Mitwirkung von etwa 400 Fachgelehrten. Ed.: Ulrich Thieme, Hans Vollmer, Felix Becker. Seemann Leipzig, Vol. 33., 1939. pp. 87-88
- Frank Fiedler, Uwe Fiedler: Lebensbilder aus der Oberlausitz: 34 Biografien aus Bautzen, Bischofswerda und Umgebung. Books on Demand, 2011, ISBN 3842351771, pp. 150-155