Like many contemporary colleagues, Tischbein lived in Rome for some years. During his first stay in Rome (1779–1781) his style changed from Rococo to Neoclassicism. He painted landscapes, historical scenes and still lifes. His second stay in Rome lasted 16 years (1783–1799). He met Johann Wolfgang von Goethe there in 1786, made friends with him and accompanied him to Naples in 1787. Later, Goethe recounted this travel in his Italian Journey. Also in 1787, Tischbein painted his most famous work, a portrait of Goethe as a traveller in the Campagna Romana (now in the Städel museum, Frankfurt am Main). From 1808, Tischbein was a painter at the court of Oldenburg in Northern Germany. He died in 1829. |
