Christoph Agricola

Christoph Ludwig Agricola (November 5, 1667 – August 8, 1719) was a German landscape painter and etcher. He was born and died at Regensburg (Ratisbon).

Christoph Ludwig Agricola was born on 5 November 1667 at Regensburg in Germany. He trained, as many painters of the period did, by studying nature.

Hespent a great part of his life in travel, visiting England, the Netherlands and France, and residing for a considerable period at Naples, where he may have been influenced by Poussin. He also stayed for some years circa 1712 in Venice, where he painted many works for the patron Zaccaria Sagredo.

He died in Regensburg in 1719.

Although he primarily worked in gouache and oils, documentary sources reveal that he also produced a small number of etchings. He was a good draughtsman, used warm lighting and exhibited a warm, masterly brushstroke.

His numerous landscapes, chiefly cabinet pictures, are remarkable for fidelity to nature, and especially for their skilful representation of varied phases of climate, especially nocturnal scenes and weather anomalies such as thunderstorms. In composition his style shows the influence of Nicolas Poussin, while in light and colour he imitates Claude Lorrain. His work often displays the idealistic scenes associated with his former mentor, Poussin.His compositions include ruins of ancient buildings in the foreground, but his favourite figure for the foreground was men dressed in Oriental attire.He also produced a series of etchings of birds.

His pictures can be found in Dresden, Braunschweig, Vienna, Florence, Naples and many other towns of both Germany and Italy.

He probably tutored the artist, Johann Theile, and had an enormous influence on him. Art historians have also noted that the work of the landscape painter, Christian Johann Bendeler (1699-1728), was also influenced by Agricola.