(1845-1908) and studio "The both Leonores", monogram (ligature) CS, oil on canvas, 68.5 x 58 cm, framed, (Rei)

The artist began his studies at the Berlin Academy in 1823 before he joined W. Schadow for further training. In 1826 Sohn followed his master to Düsseldorf. The poetical atmosphere of his works and his full yet smooth color composition led to comparisons with Old Venetian Renaissance masterns. Travels took him to Holland, Belgium and Italy. Inspiration for his works often came from mythology and literature, as it is the case with The Two Leonores, which has its origins in J.W. Goethe’s „Tasso and the two Leonores“. One of Sohn’s pupils in Düsseldorf was A. Feuerbach. In 1838 Sohn was made Professor at the Düsseldorf Academy. In his later years he showed his talent and preference for sensual naturalism doing plenty of mostly female portraits. (Lexikon der Düsseldorfer Malerschule, Munich 1998, Vol. 3, 291ff.)

Carl Rudolf Sohn: The artist studied at the Kunstakademie in Karlsruh, and from 1867 to 1870 at the Düsseldorf Academy with C. Müller and J. Roeting. However, the determining influence on his development was the training with his cousin, W. Sohn, whose