Wilhelm Heinse
Wilhelm Heinse was a notable German novelist and art critic, born on February 15, 1746, in Langewiesen, Thuringia. He studied law at the University of Erfurt, where he became involved with prominent literary figures such as Christoph Martin Wieland and Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim. After working as a tutor, Heinse relocated to Düsseldorf in 1774, where he edited a women's journal called Iris. His travels in Italy influenced his later works, which reflect the ideals of the Sturm und Drang literary movement. Heinse's first novel, "Ardinghello und die glückseligen Inseln," published in 1787, explores themes of utopian society through the lens of a painter on a Greek island. His subsequent novel, "Hildegard von Hohenthal," released in the mid-1790s, integrates music into its narrative and is recognized for its contributions to musical criticism. Additionally, Heinse published art critiques emphasizing the importance of context in understanding artistic works, particularly praising Peter Paul Rubens. Heinse passed away on June 22, 1803, in Aschaffenburg, near Frankfurt am Main.
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Wilhelm Heinse
Writer
- Born: February 15, 1746
- Birthplace: Langewiesen, near Ilmenau, Thuringia, Germany
- Died: June 22, 1803
- Place of death: Aschaffenburg, near Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Biography
Wilhelm Heinse, German novelist and art critic, was born on February 15, 1746, in Langewiesen, near Ilmenau, Thuringia, Germany. He studied law at Erfurt, where he became acquainted with Romantic writer Christoph Martin Wieland and Anacreontic poet Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim. Through Gleim, Heinse found work as a tutor for a family in Quedlinburg in 1772. In 1774, Heinse moved to Düsseldorf, where he worked as an editor for the women’s journal Iris. After traveling in Italy, he returned to Germany and accepted the post of librarian to the Archbishop of Mainz at Aschaffenburg.
Heinse’s work is characteristic of the Sturm und Drang movement in German literature. In 1787, Heinse published his first novel, Ardinghello und die glückseligen Inseln (Ardinghell and the blessed islands), which tells the story of a painter who founds a utopian society on a Greek island. Music plays a key role in his second novel, Hildegard von Hohenthal, which was published in 1795 and 1796; it is regarded as a significant contribution to musical criticism. In 1776 and 1777, he published Über einige Gemälde der Düsseldorfer Galerie (on several paintings in the Düsseldorf Gallery), a work of art criticism; in it, he expresses his fondness for the work of Peter Paul Rubens and emphasizes his belief that works of art should be viewed within the context of the unique environments in which they were created. Heinse died on June 22, 1803, in Aschaffenburg, near Frankfurt am Main, Germany.