Johann Jakob Jung Explained

Johann Jakob Jung (12 September 1819, Frankfurt am Main - 29 June 1844, Frankfurt am Main) was a German painter, specializing in religious subjects, and a member of the Nazarene movement.

Life and work

At an early age, he began training as a lithographer with at his "Lithographischer Anstalt" in Frankfurt. In 1834, he took lessons in painting from Philipp Veit at the Städelsches Kunstinstitut, where Veit was Director of the museum's gallery. At this time, Frankfurt had become the focal point for the Nazarene movement, which was devoted to religious art, largely of a Catholic nature. This had a decisive influence on the content of Jung's works.

The most familiar of these are oil paintings depicting Louis the Pious, Arnulf of Carinthia and Louis the Child. These may be seen at the Kaisersaal in the Römer, a medieval building in Frankfurt. He also created a portrait of Saint Cecilia in 1842.

That same year, he accepted a position as an art teacher at the Städel. His best known student there was Anton Burger.

In 2003, a set of his drawings of camellias was offered at the auction house, Christie’s, in London and went for $245,584.[1]

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=4109167 Christie's website