Friedrich Schwedenstein
Friedrich Schwedenstein (born March 12, 1770 ; † August 20, 1799 ; also Friedrich Gruben ) was a German painter.
Life
Friedrich Schwedenstein was a close friend of Novalis . From 1790 he first studied law in Leipzig , where he also became acquainted with Novalis and finally an intense friendship developed between the two. From 1793 Friedrich Schwedenstein took over his mother's maiden name and called himself Friedrich Gruben, which he also used to sign his naturalistic paintings.
After Novalis left Leipzig, the two continued to be in close contact by letters. Even if his artistic work generally went unnoticed, Schwedenstein's never-preserved picture “ The Blue Flower ” was the basis for the corresponding symbol of many romantic writers. The acquaintance with Novalis was decisive for this: After Friedrich Schwedenstein learned of the death of Sophie von Kühn , Novalis' fiancé, he sent his friend a watercolor painting showing dried up blue cornflowers. Novalis, deeply shaken by the death of his beloved, finally picked up this symbol and first processed it in his novel Heinrich von Ofterdingen . As a result, the blue flower became the central symbol of literary romanticism.
Friedrich Schwedenstein died of tuberculosis in 1799 and was buried in the old Johannisfriedhof in Leipzig.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Schwedenstein, Friedrich |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Gruben, Friedrich |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German painter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 12, 1770 |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 20, 1799 |