Basilius von Ramdohr
Friedrich Wilhelm Basilius von Ramdohr (21 July 1757 – 26 July 1822) was a German conservative
Life
Basilius von Ramdohr was born on the family estate, the Rittergut Drübber (near Nienburg), which was their property between 1686 and 1839. He studied law and aesthetics at the University of Göttingen, before commencing a long and glamorous career as an art-critic and diplomat.
He is remembered partly for his book Venus Urania (1798), an early work on the psychology of love and friendship (the book's name denotes "
He died at Naples in 1822.
Der Ramdohrstreit
In the 17–21 January 1809 edition of the Zeitung für die elegante Welt he published an article severely criticising
The public response to the article was unfavourable; nevertheless, Friedrich's supporters felt obliged to reformulate their positions more precisely. The debate about the relative merits of unmediated, spontaneous expression versus strict classical form (landscape painting representing the former) began in earnest at this time.
Works
- Kaiser Otto der Dritte, ein Trauerspiel ("Otto III, a Tragedy", anonymous, 1783)
- Ueber Mahlerei und Bildhauerarbeit in Rom ("On Painting and Architecture in Rome", 3 volumes, 1787)
- Charis: Ueber das Schöne und die Schönheit in den nachbildenden Künsten ("Charis, or On the Beautiful and Beauty in the Imitative Arts", 2 volumes, 1793)
- Venus Urania: Ueber die Natur der Liebe, ueber ihre Veredlung und Verschönerung ("On the Nature of Love, its Ennoblement and Beautification", 4 volumes, 1798)
- Moralische Erzählungen ("Moral Tales", 2 volumes, 1799)
Sources
- Hilmar, Frank (1997). "Der Ramdohrstreit". In Karl Möseneder (ed.). Streit um Bilder. Berlin: Reimer. ISBN 3-496-01169-6.
