Philipp Otto RungeGerman, 1777–1810Poppy
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J. Paul Getty Museum
Los Angeles, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
Throughout his career, Philipp Otto Runge used scissors to cut remarkable freehand silhouettes of plants. Here he renders the curving slender stem of a poppy, its spiky leaves, and the individual scallops of each petal with astounding precision. In the unlikely medium of flat-white paper he captures the living specimen's vitality and individuality. While Runge's early black silhouettes conform to the Romantic tradition of commemorating a sitter's face by recording the shadow of his or her unique profile, his plant cutouts were made with white paper, which is more consistent with traditional depictions of animate vegetation.
J. Paul Getty Museum
Particulars
- Accession number
- 2013.58
In the catalog
Sources
- J. Paul Getty Museum
- Image: J. Paul Getty Museum — Open Content
Meanwhile, in the life of Philipp Otto Runge
The whole life1798–1801
Studies at the Royal Academy in Copenhagen
Having decided to become an artist, Runge studies at the Copenhagen Academy under Jens Juel and Nicolai Abildgaard with the financial support of his brother Daniel; Caspar David Friedrich had studied there shortly before him. He draws from the nude and studies anatomy, geometry and perspective. Some accounts date the start of his studies to 1799.
1801
Meets Pauline Bassenge
In Dresden Runge meets the sixteen-year-old Pauline Bassenge, his future wife.
1801–1804
The Dresden Academy and the circle of Romantics
In 1801 Runge moves to Dresden and studies at the Academy under Anton Graff until 1804. He grows close to the “Dresden Romantics” — Caspar David Friedrich, Johann Gottfried Quistorp and Ludwig Tieck; Tieck introduces him to the mystical treatises of Jakob Böhme and to the ideas of Novalis.
14 – 19 November 1803
Meets Goethe in Weimar
On a trip to Weimar Runge meets Goethe at the house of Christian Gottlob von Voigt and visits the poet with Ludwig Tieck on 17 and 18 November; they discuss art and natural philosophy at length. It is the start of a friendly and working relationship based on their shared interest in color and art.
3 April 1804
Married: Pauline Runge
3 April 1804
Marries Pauline Bassenge
On 3 April 1804 Runge marries Pauline Susanne Bassenge (1785–1881) in Dresden and soon moves back to Hamburg with her; they have four children.
