Henry Friedrich
Füger

He studied in Leipzig, in 1774 he worked in Vienna, 1776-1783 he spent in Italy, where he joined the group of artists-followers of classicism. Since 1783 – the actual head of the Academy of arts in Vienna (1795 – Director). Was the author a sharp, expressive portraits in oil free miniaturist, enjoyed broad, free technique.

Austrian painter, graphic artist, miniaturist. Studied at N. Gibala in Stuttgart. In 1768, decided to quit painting and went to University. Continued art education in Leipzig, the follower of the aesthetic ideas of I. I. Winckelmann, the painter A. F. Ezer, who taught drawing by Goethe. From 1774 he worked in Vienna, where he received recognition at the Royal court. In 1776-1783 lived in Rome and Naples. He was influenced by Mengs, was fond of historical paintings, studied the legacy of Raphael, Titian, Correggio and collected works of ancient art. From 1783 he worked again in Vienna. In 1795, the rector of the Vienna Academy. From 1806 Director of the Royal art gallery in Vienna. He painted portraits, paintings and frescoes on themes from classical mythology and history.

In his early painting the Apotheosis of Kaiser Wilhelm II (1779, Vienna, Austrian Gallery painting) congestion figures, and the tense dynamics of the composition show the influence of Baroque. In later works refers to the style of Neoclassicism (the Death of Germanicus, 1789, the Death of Virginia, 1790, both of Vienna, Austrian Gallery of art; the Death of Didon, 1792, the Execution of a vestal, both of St. Petersburg, GOS. The Hermitage). Fuger elect is usually a tragic farewell scenes of the characters with a life filled with both pathos and sentimental tone of feeling in the spirit of the works by G. Hamilton. In clear alignment composition showed interest in the work of Poussin, which was also typical of who worked in Rome in 1779-1780-th European masters. These works of Fougera aroused the hostility of the romantic time Nazarene works, condemning him for his rationality and lack of interest to subjects from national history. In the portraits of Franz Joseph (Vienna, Austrian Gallery painting), Maria Theresa of Bourbon (1778, St. Petersburg, State. The Hermitage) is preserved the tradition of the ceremonial Baroque image. Dry the color solution filled here honest vypisnoy of faces, costumes and accessories, with a solemn representation of images. More subtle in the scenic execution of portraits of the Prince N. Yusupov (CA. 1783, St.-Petersburg, GOS. The Hermitage), Countess E. O. Razumovsky (Russia, Moscow, GOS. Museum of fine arts. A. S. Pushkin). In the image depicted in a Spanish costume of a Russian diplomat, a lover of the arts held in Rome by the selection of the collection of Catherine II, Prince Yusupov, the artist managed to convey the romantic aura of the time. In a theatrical pose and internally roughness felt the mood portrayed the character of a man of the Enlightenment, are prone to travelling, in love with Italian culture. Pre-romanticism inherent in the attention to national and historical appeared in the illustrations to the poem Messiad (1798) romantic poet F. G. Klopstock. Religious epic, the theme takes on the character of the sublime narrative, full of deep human feelings. Fuger also wrote portrait miniatures (the Old lady, Vienna, private collection).