Artist Profile

Severin Roesen

• Lived:
• 1815-1872
• Worked:
• Pennsylvania
• Style:
• Still Life

• Known for sumptuous, highly realistic still life with a brilliant palette, he was born in Germany near Cologne and likely trained as a porcelain and enamel painter. In 1848, he emigrated with his family to New York where he exhibited still life paintings at the American Art Union.

  In 1857, he moved to Williamsport, Pennsylvania and continued to paint detailed floral still lifes in the tradition of the 17th-century Dutch and German painters. Mysteriously, he left Williamsport in 1872, and nothing further is known about him.

  His paintings suited American taste in that they reflected mid-19th century optimism in the richness and abundance of the nation. For many of his still lifes, he used the popular oval format with heightened palette and detailed attention to each piece of fruit.
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  Severin Roesen was born in 1815 in Germany near Cologne. He may have studied in Dusseldorf to be a porcelain and enamel painter. In 1848 he emigrated to the United States with his family. He lived, worked and exhibited in New York City until 1852 when he moved to Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

  A pioneer in the American still-life genre, Roesen helped to pave the way for floral themes in American art. His paintings suited American tastes in that they reflected mid-19th optimism in the richness and abundance of the nation. For many of his still lifes, he used the popular oval format with heightened palette and detailed attention to each piece of fruit or flower. Mysteriously, Roesen left Williamsport in 1872, and nothing further is known about him.

  Written and submitted by Jean Ershler Schatz, artist and researcher from Laguna Woods, California.