Karl Ruß (painter)

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[[File:Karl Ruß-Selfportrait.jpg|thumb|185px|Self-portrait (1813)]]
[[File:Karl Russ - Kaiser Maximilian besucht die Handwerker - 5132 - Österreichische Galerie Belvedere.jpg|thumb|325px|Emperor [[Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian]] Visits the Craftsmen]]
'''Karl Ruß''' (11 August 1779, [[Vienna]] - 19 September 1843, Vienna) was an Austrian painter in the [[Biedermeier]] style.

== Life and work ==
He was born to a poor family. When they moved to [[Neustadt]], he began to display some artistic talent, and received lessons from local artists. They returned to Vienna in 1793, and he was able to enroll at the [[Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna]]. He initially studied flower painting with [[Johann Baptist Drechsler]], then landscapes with [[Johann Christian Brand]]. Following Brand's death, in 1795, he switched to history painting, with [[Hubert Maurer]] as his instructor. After graduation, he made his living painting portraits and working for booksellers. He also studied [[etching]] and [[copper engraving]].

He was married in 1806 and, thanks to some recently acquired patronage, was hired to work on decorative paintings at the [[Albertina]]. In addition, he executed wall paintings for Count [[Johann Philipp Stadion, Count von Warthausen|Johann Philipp Staadion]] and decorative work for Duke [[Albert Casimir, Duke of Teschen|Albert Casimir]], as well as being part of a group that worked for the Empress Consort, [[Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este]]. Despite this success, the loss of a pension, which he had been planning to use for studies in Italy, caused his financial situation to become unstable and he had to return to portrait painting.

Thanks to a recommendation from the landscape painter, [[Christoph Heinrich Kniep]], he was introduced to [[Archduke John of Austria]], who was looking for a "Kammermaler" (Chamber Painter). Ruß was engaged and accompanied him on hikes throughout [[Styria]]; making sketches and finding motifs for his favorite types of art. His most important commission involved a series of watercolors, depicting the native costumes of that region; from the bourgeoisie to the peasants. These works preserve all that is authentically known about their clothing for the period of 1810 to 1820. Later, the folklorist, , included many of Ruß' images in his definitive book on Styrian costumery (''Steirisches Trachtenbuch'', 1932).

From 1821, he served as the first Custodian of the Picture Gallery at [[Belvedere Palace]], a position that he held for three years. Once again, he was able to find patrons, including some in France, and had a busy career, with a constant stream of commissions. In 1843, he fell ill with "[[dropsy]] of the chest" and died a short time later, aged sixty-four.

His son, [[Leander Russ|Leander]], was also a painter. A street in Vienna's [[Hietzing]] dustrict was named after them in 1927.

== Sources ==
* Eduard Melly: ''Karl Russ. Umriss eines Künstlerlebens'', Vienna 1844 ([https://ift.tt/35xuwdg Full text]).
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== External links ==

* [https://ift.tt/2XyIs24 More works by Ruß] @ ArtNet




[[Category:1779 births]]
[[Category:1843 deaths]]
[[Category:Austrian painters]]
[[Category:Austrian portrait painters]]
[[Category:History painters]]
[[Category:Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni]]
[[Category:Deaths from edema]]
[[Category:Artists from Vienna]]

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