Carl Rungius
"After you've painted a couple of thousand paintings, then you can begin." -Carl Rungius
Carl Rungius was a wildlife artist whose lifelike paintings, illustrations and etchings of big game animals and landscapes helped to shape the animal conservation that we have in place today. In Berlin, Germany on August 18, 1869, Carl Rungius was born into a large family with an interest in art, nature and taxidermy. He entered the Berlin Art Academy at 1888 to study painting and spent most of his time at the zoo sketching the animals he found there. To further his understanding of the animal physique, he frequented the local glue factory to study the animals more in-depth.
His subject matter changed when he visited Wyoming in 1894 as he grew passionate about the raw landscapes and untouched wildlife of the American West. He immigrated to the United States in 1896 claiming that his “heart was in the West.” Because of his earlier dedication to understanding the anatomy, Rungius was able to create many lifelike paintings of bear, elk and other big game animals in their natural habitat, seemingly untouched by humanity. Many conservationists commissioned Rungius for illustrations in magazines, books and other media. He moved away from illustrations in 1909 and focused on easel paintings which he continued until his death in October of 1959. His work is held in private collections and museums across the country, but you have a rare opportunity to preview how his paintings can be used in a room and decide for yourself which one of his paintings you want to purchase to enjoy for years to come.