Wilhelm von Kobell

1766-1853

European Artist

Kobell was first taught by his father, Ferdinand, and his uncle Franz, both professional painters, Kobell attended the drawing academy in Mannheim. Artistically his father's teaching had greater impact, for he encouraged his son to copy Dutch seventeenth-century landscapes. From 1789 Kobell collaborated on landscapes with his father. His move to Munich in 1793 influenced his art tremendously, and it was in Munich that Kobell developed full artistic independence, concentrating on the effects of natural light and the use of bright colors. Besides landscapes and portraits of family members, he also painted military scenes. During the last part of his career, Kobell typically painted encounters between citizens and farmers in the countryside near Munich.