1815 -1900 · Berlin, Düsseldorf, Rome and Prussian history painting

History, scholarly portrait and great biblical story define the narrative clarity of Julius Schrader within the Düsseldorf school.

Julius Friedrich Antonio Schrader was born in Berlin in 1815. He trained at the Academy of Düsseldorf with Friedrich Wilhelm von Schadow, in an environment which gave drawing, historical narrative and moral expression central importance. His study trips to Italy and his stays in Rome enriched his repertoire of costumes, architecture and references to the Renaissance. Schrader painted biblical, literary and historical subjects, as well as numerous portraits of scholars and personalities. Esther in front of Ahasuerus organized the confrontation of figures through gesture, costume and court space. Esther in front of Ahasuerus organized the confrontation of figures through gesture, costume and court space. His portraits of Alexander von Humboldt combine official dignity, intellectual accessories and human presence, helping to capture the public image of the great naturalist. Having become a professor at the Berlin Academy, Schrader participated in the great Prussian settings and in a history painting intended to transmit religious, political and cultural models. Italian women in a vineyard near Rome reveals a brighter side of his work, based on the observation of costume and the Mediterranean landscape. The "Julius Schrader" selection notably compares Esther in front of Ahasuerus and Italian women in a vineyard near Rome. His reading favors atmosphere.

Schrader constructs the story as an intelligible scene: costume, gaze and architecture explain even before the story is named.