Ferdinand Georg Waldmuller

Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller (15 January 1793 in Vienna – 23 August 1865 in Hinterbrühl, Austria) was an Austrian painter and writer. He briefly attended the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, but later had to finance his life by painting portraits. In 1811 he worked as a teacher of arts for the children of Count Gyulay in Croatia. After three years he returned to Vienna and started to improve his skills by copying the works of old masters. Waldmüller later became interested in nature and started painting landscapes. These are his most notable works, in which his sense of colour and knowledge of nature helped him to achieve masterly skill. In 1823 he made a portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven. He was professor at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, but was in disputes with the Viennese establishment, most notably for his comments on the system of the academy, where he wanted to establish a focus of the study on nature.