Johann Jakob Schalch
Encyclopedia
Johann Jakob Schalch was a Swiss painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...

. He was a contemporary of the Swiss painters Anton Graff
Anton Graff
Anton Graff was an eminent Swiss portrait artist. Among his famous subjects were Friedrich Schiller, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Heinrich von Kleist, Frederick the Great, Johann Gottfried Herder and Christian Felix Weisse...

, Jean Preudhomme
Jean Preudhomme
thumb|[[Franz Rudolf Frisching]] in the uniform of an officer of the [[Bernese]] Huntsmen Corps with his [[Berner Laufhund]], painted by Jean Preudhomme in 1785...

, Angelica Kauffmann
Angelica Kauffmann
Maria Anna Angelika/Angelica Katharina Kauffman was a Swiss-Austrian Neoclassical painter. Kauffman is the preferred spelling of her name; it is the form she herself used most in signing her correspondence, documents and paintings.- Early years :She was born at Chur in Graubünden, Switzerland,...

, Jakob Emanuel Handmann
Jakob Emanuel Handmann
thumb|Portrait of Jakob Emanuel Handmann .Jakob Emanuel Handmann was a Swiss painter specialised in portrait painting...

, Johann Caspar Füssli
Johann Caspar Füssli
Johann Caspar Füssli was a Swiss portrait painter.He was born in Zurich to Hans Rudolf Füssli, who was also a painter, and Elisabeth Schärer....

. His son Johann Heinrich Füssli was also a noted painter.

History

Johann Jakob Schalch was born in Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen is a city in northern Switzerland and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimated population of 34,587 ....

, Switzerland. He studied under the painter and stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...

 plasterer
Plasterer
A plasterer is a tradesman who works with plaster, such as forming a layer of plaster on an interior wall or plaster decorative moldings on ceilings or walls...

 Johann Ulrich Schnetzler in Schaffhausen, and later under the animal painter
Animal painter
An animal painter is an artist who specializes in or is known for their skill in the portrayal of animals, essentially up to about 1900. During the last century "wildlife artist" became the preferred term for contemporary animal painters....

 Karl Wilhelm de Hamilton in 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...

. As a young man Schalch made study trips to Germany
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...

 and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. He married Maria Oechslin in Schaffhausen in 1750.

In 1754 Schalch moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, where he soon met and received commissions to paint for members of the Royal Court. He specialized in landscaping
Landscaping
Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including:# living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly referred to as gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal of creating a beautiful environment within the landscape.#...

 and animal painting; several of his works are now in the , including and .

In 1763 Schalch moved to Holland, where he painted the English Ambassador in Den Haag. The painting depicts Ambassador York astride a horse. This painting was his breakthrough and is regarded as his masterpiece.

In 1773 Schalch returned to his hometown, Schaffhausen, he remained for the rest of his life. He died at his residence, in the countryside known as 'the Durstgraben' (near his beloved Rheinfall) in 1789. He had been nearly blind during his last years.

Paintings

Schalch was noted for his paintings of the Rheinfall in Schaffhausen, many of which were reproduced as engravings, making his name well-known.

The Museum zu Allerheiligen in Schaffhausen owns the largest collection of Schalch paintings and drawings.

Literature and references

  • Museum zu Allerheiligen, Schaffhausen
  • Carl Brun: Schweizer Künstlerlexikon. Bd. 3 (1913), S. 25 f
  • Johann Caspar Füssli
    Johann Caspar Füssli
    Johann Caspar Füssli was a Swiss portrait painter.He was born in Zurich to Hans Rudolf Füssli, who was also a painter, and Elisabeth Schärer....

    : Geschichte der besten Künstler in der Schweiz. Bd. 4, Zürich 1779, S. 154–158
  • H. van Hall: Amsterdam 1963

Weblinks

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