Schiller

Title

Schiller

Portrait of the young Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805). Edited by Georg Gerlach & Co. A. G., Berlin.

ca. 1895

Artist

Rumpf (1856-1927)

Fritz Heinrich Rumpf (1856–1927) was a painter, art collector, and writer. His subjects ranged from portraits, architectural and genre scenes, to landscapes. He first received commercial training at a banking house in Frankfurt, and then spent a year in Lausanne to improve his French skills. Afterwards, he studied art—initially at the Städel Art Institute in Frankfurt, then at the Art Academy in Kassel. Around 1895, he settled permanently in Potsdam, where he built the so-called Villa Rumpf on the Heiligen See, designed together with the architect Gustav Meyer. The villa became not only his residence, but also a cultural meeting place, attracting artists, intellectuals, and interested guests. Notable figures associated with the villa and its salon life include Max Liebermann, Lovis Corinth, Tilla Durieux, and others.

Historical Description

He grew up in modest circumstances and later attended the military academy Karlsschule in Stuttgart, where he initially studied medicine. Schiller had his literary breakthrough in 1782 with the drama “The Robbers”, a powerful outcry against social injustice and tyranny. Because of his rebellious attitude, he was persecuted by the Württemberg government and fled Stuttgart – living for several years as a freelance writer under difficult conditions. In the following years, he wrote other significant plays such as “Intrigue and Love” and “Don Carlos”. From the 1790s onward, he increasingly turned to philosophy and historical writing, producing works like the “History of the Thirty Years’ War.” A major turning point was his friendship with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, which began in 1794. Together, they shaped the Weimar Classicism, an era that emphasized humanity, beauty, and harmony. Among Schiller’s most famous later works are the classical dramas “Wallenstein”, “Mary Stuart”, “The Maid of Orleans”, “William Tell”, as well as the poem “Ode to Joy”, which was later set to music by Beethoven in his 9th Symphony. Friedrich Schiller died at the age of only 45. Despite his short life, he is regarded as one of the greatest poets and thinkers in German literary history.