Koller, Rudolf |
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BORN 21 May 1828, Zürich - DIED 5 Jan 1905, Zürich GRAVE LOCATION Zürich: Friedhof Sihlfeld A (Gruppe B, FG 81023) |
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Rodulf Koller was the son of the inkeeper of the Schwarzen Adler hotel in Zürich. From 1840 to 1843 he was educated at the cantonal industrial school in Zürich. He was also instructed by his uncle, who was a landscape painter. From 1843 onwards he studied under Jacques Schweizer, Johann Rudolf Obrist and Hans Jacob Ulrich. In 1845 he went to Munich where he worked with the Schweizer group that was led by Johann Gottfried Steffan. From 1846 to 1847 he studied under Karl Ferdinand Sohn in Düsseldorf. There he befriended Anself Feuerbach and Hans Böcklin. He travelled to Brussels and Antwerp with Böcklin and in 1847 they shared a studio in Paris. In 1848 he returned to Zürich. He stayed in Hasliberg near Interlaken, travelled to Bavaria and lived in Zürich again in 1851. There he had his studio and he received many commissions for animal paintings. In 1856 he married Bertha Schlatter, after having painted her portrait in 1855. In 1857 he created his painting "Die Kuh im Krautgarten" ("The Cow in the Vegeable Garden"). He befriended Gottfried Keller and Jacob Burckhardt and in 1862 he bought a chalet on the shore of Lake Zürich where he lived for the rest of his life. In 1868-1869 he travelled to Florence, Rome and Naples. Although he suffered from eye trouble, in 1873 he painted "Gotthardpost" on the occasion of the retirement of Alfred Escher. In 1900 he went to Italy for the last time and near Florence he met with his friend Böcklin. He died in 1905 at home in Zürich. Related persons • was a friend of Böcklin, Arnold • was a friend of Keller, Gottfried |
| Images |
 The grave of Rudolf Koller at the Sihlfeld Cemetery, Zürich. Picture by Androom (18 Aug 2005) |
