Aus Dorpat (Tartu) nach Italien und zurück. Über die Bildungsreise Woldemar Friedrich Krügers vermittelt durch die an Karl Eduard von Liphart von 1832 bis 1834 gesandten Briefe

Abstract

The article accompanies the comments and publication of letters written by an Estonian artist Woldemar Friedrich Krüger to his friend Karl Eduard von Liphart, an art collector and expert from Munich between 1832–1834. The main intention of the author has been to provide the reader with the necessary short biography of the Woldemar Krüger and to contextualize the years in which the letters were written. Also the paper aims to open up some subjects and keywords that occur in the letters sent by Krüger to Liphart. The letters that are deposited in the Herder Institute Dokumentesammlung (DSHI) illustrate the early years in the lives of Krüger and Liphart when they both were in their twenties and only in the very beginning with their professional career. Artist Krüger, who was able to study and travel abroad only with the help of the Lipharts family, was especially interested in acquiring technical skills in lithography and encaustic (wax painting). The letters from Munich reveal us a very practically minded and careful personality as Krüger even hesitates before travelling to Italy being afraid that it could lead him away from his routine and practicing. Unfortunately, the letters do not prove whether Krüger attended any official and regular art course during his stay in Munich. However, the letters add valuable information about the developing years of both of the artist Woldemar Krüger and art connoisseur Karl Eduard von Liphart. The correspondence enables us to have a glance at the ideas and acquaintances that they shared and how studying abroad could look like in the 19th century.