# Raphael Ritz > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Raphael_Ritz > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Raphael_Ritz.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael_Ritz > Source revision: 1302359817 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Swiss painter (1829–1894)}} {{refimprove|date=December 2018}} thumb|250px|Pilgrimage to {{ill|Longeborgne|de|Unsere Liebe Frau von Longeborgne}} thumb|350px|Engineers in the Mountains '''Maria Joseph Franz Anton Raphael Ritz''', nicknamed '''Alpen-Raphael''' or '''Walliser-Raphael''' (17 January 1829, in [Brig](/source/Brig), [Canton of Valais](/source/Canton_of_Valais) – 11 April 1894, in [Sion](/source/Sion_(Switzerland))) was a Swiss [genre](/source/Genre_art) and landscape painter, associated with the [Düsseldorf School](/source/D%C3%BCsseldorf_School). == Biography == He was the second of four children born to {{ill|Lorenz Justin Ritz|de}}, a church and portrait painter, and his wife Josefa-Klara. In 1839, they moved from Brig to Sion and his mother died in 1842. He received his first drawing lessons from his father. From 1851 to 1853, he studied with his uncle, Heinrich Kaiser, who was also a church and portrait painter. His father was displeased with his interest in landscape painting and, as he had also expressed an interest in science during his secondary education, it was suggested that he pursue that course, rather than art. However, he came in contact with the [Nazarene](/source/Nazarene_movement) painters [Paul von Deschwanden](/source/Melchior_Paul_von_Deschwanden) and Theodor von Deschwanden (1826–1861) and, on the basis of their advice, enrolled at the [Kunstakademie Düsseldorf](/source/Kunstakademie_D%C3%BCsseldorf). He was there from 1853 to 1856. His instructors included [Heinrich Mücke](/source/Heinrich_M%C3%BCcke), [Karl Ferdinand Sohn](/source/Karl_Ferdinand_Sohn), [Friedrich Wilhelm Schadow](/source/Friedrich_Wilhelm_Schadow) and [Theodor Hildebrandt](/source/Theodor_Hildebrandt). After 1860, he worked in the studios of [Rudolf Jordan](/source/Rudolf_Jordan_(painter)), who introduced him to [genre](/source/Genre_art) painting with folk life motifs. In 1862, he had his first major success when one of his works was purchased by Kaiser [Wilhelm I](/source/William_I%2C_German_Emperor) at an exhibition in Brussels. This enabled him to open his own studio in [Düsseldorf](/source/D%C3%BCsseldorf). He was only there for a year, however, when his father's worsening health forced him to return home and assist with the creation of several [altarpiece](/source/altarpiece)s. After returning to Düsseldorf, he fell ill himself and decided to go back to Sion permanently. In the following years, he not only painted, but also wrote numerous works on biology, geology, archaeology and folklore. Many of these writings were published in the yearbooks of the [Schweizer Alpen-Club](/source/Schweizer_Alpen-Club), of which he was a member.Florian Hitz: ''Die Erstbesteigung des Piz Bernina. Geschichte, Vollzug und Verarbeitung einer alpinistischen Glanztat''. In: Michael Kasper, Martin Korenjak, Robert Rollinger, Andreas Rudigier (Ed.): ''Alltag – Albtraum – Abenteuer. Gebirgsüberschreitung und Gipfelsturm in der Geschichte''. Böhlau Verlag, Wien/Köln/Weimar 2015, {{ISBN|978-3-205-79651-0}}, Pg.238 ([https://books.google.com/books?id=AbGlDAAAQBAJ&dq=Raphael+Ritz&pg=PA238 ''Google Books'']) In 1874, he stayed at a spa in [Albisbrunn](/source/Hausen_am_Albis) where he met and married Caroline Nördlinger, the daughter of an engineer from [Tübingen](/source/T%C3%BCbingen). They had five children, including the mathematician and physicist, [Walther Ritz](/source/Walther_Ritz). He was later involved in the creation of the [Swiss National Museum](/source/Swiss_National_Museum) and was a member of several groups devoted to historical preservation. An unspecified illness began to afflict him in 1889 and it led to his death in 1894. ==References== {{reflist}} == Further reading == * Leo Luzian von Roten: "Das Leben des Malers Raphael Ritz von Niederwald". In: ''Neujahrsblatt der Künstlergesellschaft in Zürich'', Zürich 1896 * ''Raphael Ritz 1829–1894''. [Visp](/source/Visp), Kulturzentrum La Poste, Sabine Leyat (et al.), 1999 * Walter Ruppen: ''Raphael Ritz. 1829–1894''. Editions de la Matze, Sion 1980 * Walter Ruppen: ''Raphael Ritz 1829–1894. Leben und Werk. Ein Walliser Maler des 19. Jahrhunderts aus der Düsseldorfer Schule''. Schritt Verlag, Vira 1971 == External links == {{Commonscat|Raphael Ritz}} * [http://www.sikart.ch/kuenstlerinnen.aspx?id=4022945 Biography and works] @ SikART * [http://www.hls-dhs-dss.ch/textes/d/D22095.php Biography] @ the [Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz](/source/Historisches_Lexikon_der_Schweiz) * [https://archive.org/stream/malerwerkedesne01boetgoog#page/n454/mode/2up ''Ritz, Raphael''.] In: Friedrich von Boetticher: ''Malerwerke des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts. Beitrag zur Kunstgeschichte''. Vol. II, Dresden 1898, pg.444 * [http://www.artnet.com/artists/raphael-ritz/ More works by Ritz] @ ArtNet {{Düsseldorf school of painting}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Ritz, Raphael}} Category:1829 births Category:1894 deaths Category:Swiss landscape painters Category:Swiss genre painters Category:19th-century Swiss artists Category:Düsseldorf school of painting --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Raphael Ritz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael_Ritz) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael_Ritz?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.