Painter and graphic artist, representative of late romanticism in German and Austrian art of the 19th century he Studied in Vienna (1821) and Munich (1828, P. von Cornelius) AH; from 1847 he worked mainly in Munich. Genre paintings sh ("Wedding trip", 1862), series of paintings and large watercolours ("Beautiful Melusina", 1868-70, Gallery of 19th and 20th centuries, Vienna), numerous paintings and illustrations imbued with motifs of Nar. tales and legends, idyllic in mood, but not bland academic.
In the Schwind of 1821-1823 studied at the Vienna Academy of fine arts, where he experienced the influence of their teachers, Snorre von Carolsfeld and Peter Krafft. He originally gained fame as the Illustrator of fairy stories and scenes of bourgeois life. The narrative nature of his future paintings obviously associated with this early activity. In 1828 the Schwind lives in Munich, where he begins his friendship with Cornelius, under the influence of which his art becomes more monumental. In 1832-1836, the artist creates a project of murals for the Residence in Munich and the castle of Hohenschwangau. In 1835 the Schwind goes to Italy where he created his first significant works ("Knight K. URT, Brautfahrt", Karlsruhe, Kunsthalle, the picture burned down in 1931). In 1840-1844 he takes the painting at the new gallery in Karlsruhe, and also writes of the painting "Journey Falkenstein" (1843-1844, Leipzig, Museum of fine arts) and "rose" (1847, Berlin, NAT. Gal.). He then moved to Frankfurt, and in 1847 became Professor at the Academy of fine arts in Munich. In 1854-1855 the Schwind takes the frescoes in the Wartburg, and in 1866-1867 creates his last monumental work - frescoes in the Vienna Opera, with scenes from "the Magic flute" by Mozart.
Style Schwind dates back to the manner of the time Nazarene works, though differing from them more power, a lively sense of poetry and romantic music. Very often the artist borrows its scenes from favorite operas, the libretto or the history of music. The narrative side of art Swinda, often in combination with humor is also evident in the cycles of paintings on the theme of fairy tales ("Cinderella", 1854, Munich, Neue Pinakothek; "the Seven ravens", 1857-1858, Weimar, State. the art collection). In addition, the Schwind is the author of portraits (portrait of Carolina Hetzenecker, 1848, Nuremberg, German NAT. Museum), and several religious compositions.