Emanuel Leutze

MayEmanuel Leutze was born on May 24, 1816, in Germany.¹

Born in Germany and moved to the US at age 9. He began drawing while nursing his sick father and supported his family at age 14 by painting portraits for $5 each.²

At the age of 14, he was painting portraits for $5 apiece to support himself.¹

Returned to Germany in 1840 to study at the Düsseldorf Academy. Despite his anti-academic attitude, he was strongly influenced by history painter Karl Friedrich Lessing.²

He created "Columbus before the Council of Salamanca" in 1841.³

He studied the techniques of Titian and Michelangelo in Italy. His style is characterized as 'patriotic romanticism,' combining dramatic composition with historical weight.²

"Columbus Before the Queen" was created in 1843.³

Leutze married Juliane Lottner in 1845.¹

Emanuel Leutze was a strong supporter of the Revolutions of 1848 in Europe.¹

For 'Washington Crossing the Delaware,' he used American art students and tourists in Düsseldorf as models, transforming everyday people into heroic historical figures.²

His masterpiece 'Washington Crossing the Delaware' was painted to encourage European liberal reformers after the 1848 revolutions, using the American Revolution as a model.²

Emanuel Leutze created his masterpiece "Washington Crossing the Delaware" in 1851.¹

His portrait of Chief Justice Roger Taney captured an expression of profound sadness and disillusionment, showing his ability to depict the inner life of his subjects.²

After 1859, Leutze opened a studio in New York City.¹

The mural "Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way" was created in 1860.¹

In 1860, he was commissioned by Congress to paint the massive mural 'Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way' for the U.S. Capitol building.²

He died of heat stroke in Washington, D.C. at age 52. At the time of his death, he was preparing a painting titled 'The Emancipation of the Slaves.'²

JulLeutze died in Washington, D.C. on July 18, 1868, at the age of 52.¹

The first version of his famous painting was damaged by fire and later destroyed in a WWII bombing raid in 1942. The version in the Metropolitan Museum is the second replica.²

SepDuring World War II, on September 5, 1942, the first version of his "Washington Crossing the Delaware" was destroyed in a bombing raid.¹