SCHMIDT Georg Friedrich

January 24, 1712 (Shenerlind near Berlin) - January 13, 1775 (Berlin)

Engraver.

born in the family of a weaver. Art education has received in the Prussian Academy of Arts in GP Bush, where he studied from 1727 to 1730. In 1736 he moved to Paris. Through the recommendation of the famous artist A. Pena met the painter and engraver Lancret NA NA Larmessenom. Some time was a student and assistant Larmessena. Soon after Schmidt's talent was spotted I. Rigaud, who became his patron in Paris. Graver has fulfilled a number of portraits of the originals Rigaud, and in 1744 for "Portrait of Mignard's" was admitted to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in Paris.

In the same year the Prussian King Frederick II summoned Schmidt in Berlin, where the engraver was appointed court painter and elected a member of the Prussian Academy of Arts. In 1746 was presented at court. In 1747 he married the daughter of a wealthy merchant Louise Dorothee Videbandt (in marriage - Schmidt).

In June 1757 he was invited to St. Petersburg under the contract for five years with an annual salary of 750 rubles, and the right to work under orders of the piece. He also served as master of engraving of the Academy of Sciences. In 1758 combined work in her teaching in the class engraving Academy of Arts, established in November 1757. Had a lot of orders executed portraits M. Vorontsov, NI Esterhazy, PI and I. Shuvalov, KG Razumovsky and others. Within three years working on the grand portrait of Elizabeth on the original Tox. Results for the St. Petersburg period Schmidt was performed more than ten works that technology incisal engraving is pretty impressive number.

in August 1762 after the completion of the contract returned to Berlin. In 1765 he was elected a member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts.

Schmidt - an outstanding engraver middle of the XVIII century, one of the first masters of the world-famous (along with L. Tox), who worked in Russia. He brought to the art of Russian high culture of the French classical engravings, however, several mitigating the effects of the Rococo. He worked mainly on the etching cutter training, rarely resorted exclusively to etching ( "Self-Portrait with a spider", 1758) and pencil-style ( "head" of the original Boucher). His works were performed strictly in the linear style, but the lack of rigidity inherent in many masters incisal engravings of the time. Artworks Schmidt distinguish soft silver-gray tone of the sheet and accuracy in the transfer of texture materials.

He had a great influence on the development of the Russian school of engraving. He has taught many prominent representatives of this type of art in the second half of XVIII century: EP Chemesov, E. Vinogradov, AA Greeks, DG Gerasimov, N. Ya Kolpakov and others.

value of the works of Schmidt, as well as the work of most engravers, is determined not only by their artistic merit, but above all the quality of prints that are directly related to the circulation of engravings. Overall impressions from Schmidt plates are quite rare in the antiques market. Among all his works Petersburg period of greatest value are: the portraits of Peter Shuvalov, I. Shuvalov, LD Schmidt (wife of the engraver), "Self-Portrait with a spider" .

Schmidt works are in collections of major Russian and European museums, including the Pushkin Museum im. Pushkin, the State Tretyakov Gallery, State Russian Museum, State Historical Museum, State Hermitage Museum.