Cornelius

Cornelius, Peter von (1783-1867). the leader of the German art revival. Born at Dusseldorf, he began to paint at an early age. His first public work was the decoration of the choir of a church at Neuss. At 26 he made some designs from Faust. In 1811 he went to Rome, and there with his associates and disciples he inaugurated a new German school of decoration. Among his work of that period were designs from the Nibelungen Lied. He went from Rome to Dusseldorf, and from there to become director of the Munich Academy. He designed the frescoes for the Ludwigskirche, the best known being The Last Judgment. He also decorated the Pinakothek and the Glyptothek. At Berlin he executed cartoons from the Apocalypse for the Campo Santo, the Royal Mausoleum. Though a great and powerful designer he was of no great merit as a colourist. He followed the Italian school, though his work showed evident traces of the influence of Albert Durer. He came to England in 1841 and was consulted upon the subject of the Parliamentary frescoes.