DOI Heft:
No. 226 (January 1912)
DOI Artikel:Beaumont, A.: The late Felix Ziem
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.21155#0321
Felix Ziem
FELIX ZIEM. FROM A RECENT PHOTOGRAPH BY DORNAC, PARIS
THE LATE FELIX ZIEM. the first prize for architecture. He spent a short
time in Rome and in 1840 he was in Paris as a
Felix Ziem, the famous orientalist, the student of painting.
brilliant portrayer of Venetian scenes and Ziem's first visit to Venice dates back to 1841.
of life on the Bosphorus, and in some measure the He had set out on foot from Rome and reached
precursor of the latter-day impressionists without the Adriatic by small stages, living from hand to
being an impressionist himself, was at the time of mouth, selling his sketches when and where he
his death next to Henri Harpignies, vice-dean, as could to increase the meagre allowances he re-
it were, of the surviving great painters who made ceived from home. He stayed only five or six
their fame in the nineteenth century. months, longing to go still farther east, to see the
There is romance in Ziem's birth as well as in hills and skies of his father's native country,
his paintings. His father, a Croatian, served in Croatia, towards which an indefinable yearning
the Austrian army against Napoleon, and was made attracted him, and finally pushed his travels as far
prisoner by the French. After his release he settled as Constantinople. But Venice haunted his mind
in Provence, where he married the daughter of an and he returned the following year, remaining there,
old Provencal family. On February 25, 1821, Felix it would seem, until 1845. He has himself
Francois George Philibert Ziem was born at related how he roughed it for a long time in com-
Beaune, where hi-s father had established himself, pany with his friend Favart. They lived on the
He received his early education at Beaune and lagoons. Having put their meagre cash together
afterwards at Dijon. As the lad showed a remarkable and hired an old " topo " or barge, Ziem made a
talent for drawing and colouring from his infancy sort of large tent with mats, window shades and
his father proposed to make him an architect, hangings of all sorts on the deck, which served as
To think of his becoming simply an artist was out an atelier. This occupied the middle of the boat,
of the question, for the cry was then as it is to-day, and the "forecastle," if there was such a thing,
that the profession was overcrowded with dilettantes, was taken up by their boatman Cherubini, who
At the Ecole des Beaux-Arts at Dijon young Ziem also acted as their general servant and cook,
distinguished himself, and at eighteen was awarded His cooking was execrable and made a life-long
299
FELIX ZIEM. FROM A RECENT PHOTOGRAPH BY DORNAC, PARIS
THE LATE FELIX ZIEM. the first prize for architecture. He spent a short
time in Rome and in 1840 he was in Paris as a
Felix Ziem, the famous orientalist, the student of painting.
brilliant portrayer of Venetian scenes and Ziem's first visit to Venice dates back to 1841.
of life on the Bosphorus, and in some measure the He had set out on foot from Rome and reached
precursor of the latter-day impressionists without the Adriatic by small stages, living from hand to
being an impressionist himself, was at the time of mouth, selling his sketches when and where he
his death next to Henri Harpignies, vice-dean, as could to increase the meagre allowances he re-
it were, of the surviving great painters who made ceived from home. He stayed only five or six
their fame in the nineteenth century. months, longing to go still farther east, to see the
There is romance in Ziem's birth as well as in hills and skies of his father's native country,
his paintings. His father, a Croatian, served in Croatia, towards which an indefinable yearning
the Austrian army against Napoleon, and was made attracted him, and finally pushed his travels as far
prisoner by the French. After his release he settled as Constantinople. But Venice haunted his mind
in Provence, where he married the daughter of an and he returned the following year, remaining there,
old Provencal family. On February 25, 1821, Felix it would seem, until 1845. He has himself
Francois George Philibert Ziem was born at related how he roughed it for a long time in com-
Beaune, where hi-s father had established himself, pany with his friend Favart. They lived on the
He received his early education at Beaune and lagoons. Having put their meagre cash together
afterwards at Dijon. As the lad showed a remarkable and hired an old " topo " or barge, Ziem made a
talent for drawing and colouring from his infancy sort of large tent with mats, window shades and
his father proposed to make him an architect, hangings of all sorts on the deck, which served as
To think of his becoming simply an artist was out an atelier. This occupied the middle of the boat,
of the question, for the cry was then as it is to-day, and the "forecastle," if there was such a thing,
that the profession was overcrowded with dilettantes, was taken up by their boatman Cherubini, who
At the Ecole des Beaux-Arts at Dijon young Ziem also acted as their general servant and cook,
distinguished himself, and at eighteen was awarded His cooking was execrable and made a life-long
299