Gerhardt Wilhelm von Reutern (1794 - 1865)

Gerhardt Wilhelm von Reutern

Gerhardt Wilhelm von Reutern (Russian: Евграф Романович Рейтерн) was a Russian officer and painter of the first half of the 19th century of Baltic-German origin. He is known as a painter, friend of Goethe and Ludwig Grimm, and father-in-law of Russian poet Vasily Zhukovsky.

Reutern trained in painting in various European cities and specialized in genre paintings. In 1832 he created a series of watercolors depicting ordinary soldiers of the Russian Imperial Guard, which were characterized by realism and warmth. After becoming court painter in 1837, he created famous paintings of biblical subjects, including Abraham Sacrificing Isaac. Reutern traveled to various countries, but finally settled in Frankfurt am Main. He was an academician of the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg.