August Rieper

AUGUST RIEPER (Hamburg, Germany, 1865-1940).
"Erasmus of Rotterdam in his studio".
Oil on canvas.
Signed.
With patch on the back.
Measurements: 152 x 132 cm.

August Rieper offers us in this canvas an image of Erasmus of Rotterdam in his study. The Dutch humanist philosopher, philologist and Christian theologian is immersed in the vast number of works that he made (translations, books, essays, prayers and letters), which led him to be considered one of the greatest scholars of the Nordic Renaissance and one of the main figures of the Dutch and Western culture.

August Rieper trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, but later decided to abandon his studies in favor of a self-taught study of the old masters. He exhibited his first works in 1887, arousing great interest from established local artists. He met important artists of the German scene, among them Franz von Stuck, whose influence is especially visible in Rieper's symbolist work. In 1888 he presented his works for the first time at the International Art Exhibition at the Glaspalast in Munich, as well as in Hamburg, Vienna, Dresden and Berlin. In 1898 he resumed his studies at the Munich Academy with his friend von Sietz. For many years, Rieper was a member of the State Restoration Commission of the Bavarian State Gallery and the Munich Artists' Cooperative, which enabled him to hold a temporary exhibition at the Munich National Museum in 1928. Many of his paintings were acquired by Kaiser Wilhelm II and also by the heir to the Austrian throne Franz Ferdinand.