Gabriel Ritter von Max 

Biography of Gabriel Ritter von Max  ( 1840-1915 )

Gabriel Ritter von Max was the son of a talented sculptor, Joseph Max, who encouraged him on his artistic path and taught him the basics of art history and painting.
At the age of 15, he entered the Prague Academy, where he remained a pupil of Eduard von Engerth for three years. It was on the latter's recommendation that he was admitted to the Vienna Academy, then 5 years later, in 1863, to the Munich Academy of Fine Arts, where he was a pupil of Carl von Piloty, a leading figure of the Munich school, characterized by its Italianate chiaroscuro.

His real debut came in 1865 with Martyre de Sainte Ludmille. His Face of Christ, popularized by numerous engravings, seems to open one's eyes when stared at for a moment. He also illustrated editions of Faust, uhlans' poetry and Wieland's Oberon.
From religious mysticism, Gabriel von Max poured into the reproduction of scenes of hypnotism and spiritualism. He was also a convinced Darwinist and kept a small herd of monkeys, which he bred and regularly used as models. He himself became a professor at the Munich Academy.

An independent and tormented spirit, he was a painter of delicate drawing and subdued coloring.