MAY 2003

Friedrich Gross Born 1822 in the Black Sea Region Died in 1896 in Kertsch/Crimea The Painter from the Black Sea

May 2003
Friedrich Gross – Painter, Lithographer and Archeologist of Tauria (Crimea)
Having loved his native Crimea from childhood on, he later spent four successive years on its Southern coast, with a sketch pad in hand, painting everything that brought awe to his gaze. During this period, he created a great collection of painted landscapes and historical memorials of this area. In order to preserve for the future detailed images of his vision of the past, the artist had learned and mastered lithography, the forerunner of photography, since it made possible quick reproduction of as many copies as desired of these pictures on paper. The newspaper “Odessaer Nachrichten [Odessa News]” evaluated the quality of his work as follows: “These views are superior to anything published via lithography thus far, not only with respect to the genuineness and affection evoked by an image, but also because of the complete expression of nature in the Crimea, which for the painter proved to be his own master teacher, his ‘academy.’” Friedrich Gross was born in 1822 into the family of a German colonist from Sudak in Wûrttemberg. The family had settled on the Crimean Peninsula as early as 1805. His father, Johann Gross, was a painter by profession, but initially made a comfortable existence for himself as a vintner. Still, his love for painting took him to Simferopol, where he taught painting at the Taurian Gymnasium. Friedrich completed [the equivalent of] high school there. He did not attain formal training as an artist. In 1848 Friedrich moved to Odessa to become a lithographer. During the same year, he staged an exhibition of his pictures entitled “Images of the Crimea.” These early works consisted of oil and watercolor paintings as well as pencil drawings. Many of these pictures were later lithographed and published as an album. Many of them he dedicated to the ethos of the Crimea, e.g., “Tataric Coffee House,” Tataric Busnya,” “Melas,” “Artek,” and “Khan Burial Stones in Bachchisaray.” The lithographs, dedicated to the Crimean past, were distinguished in their distinct care in execution. This is demonstrated by pictures of towers, walls and of the fortress and capital of the Crimean Goths, Mangup-Kale, the fortress Tschufût-Kale (also called the Jewish Fortress), and of the castle ruins of Sudak, Aluschta and Balaklava. For today’s researchers these lithographs are invaluable witnesses to the historical monuments to the 19th century, such as the numerous magnificent homes of the nobles of the time on the southern coast of Crimea, e.g., the Prince A.N. Golizyn’s “Alexandria,” A.S. Golyzin’s “Koreis,” “Gaspa,” etc. Unfortunately, many of them have disappeared without a trace or have been rebuilt so drastically that they are no longer recognizable. In Odessa, Gross began to paint scenes of various parts of the city and demonstrated remarkable productivity. During 1850 alone he produced over 20 lithographs. His greatest successes were pictures that depicted locales of the Crimean War of 1853 – 1856, such as “Heroic Act of Shchegelov and his Battery,” “Explosion of the English Steamer-Frigate,” “Tiger,” “Defending two English War Steamers.” These were exhibited in Russia as well as in England. He also made a name for himself as a portrait painter, creating a series of pictures of famous foreign artists who had given concerts in Odessa, among them Franz Liszt.
In 1858 Friedrich Gross returned to the Crimea, took up residence in Kertsch and the position as teacher of painting at a girls university for applied science, and later he took over the Museum of Antiquity in Kertsch. He also took part in the digging up of hillside graves on the Taman Peninsula. During the course of that work, as the historian Marti writes, he proved himself to be “an indefatigable painter, whose sketches of all the monuments and antiquity finds in South Russia became his most meritorious work. Often, these constitute the only legacy remaining for us.” Working in Kertsch, Gross created several albums of watercolor paintings and pencil drawings. For his accomplishments he was given the Order of St. Anna, and later he was also honored with the Order of “Saint Stanislaus.” In Kertsch he owned one of the most beautiful homes and lived in it until his death. His own library demonstrated that he was indeed an educated man who had also mastered several languages. On a gravestone in the cemetery at Kertsch a plaque was found that contains an emotional dedication to him in the Russian language. Gross was a simple but enterprising man who dedicated his entire life as a painter to research into an artistic depiction of the picturesque areas of Tauris. A memorial plaque in his honor has been put up at the entrance to the girls university for applied science in Kertsch.
Compiled from a diary and service book by Friedrich Gross, also from the HFDR-Almanach 2000-2001

Dr. Leopold Gross, Relative of Friedrich Gross, d. 05.28.2002 in Singen/Hohentweil

Translation from German to English by Alex Herzog, Boulder, Colorado