August Matthias Hagen was born on 23 February 1794, in Vijciems Manor, near the town of\nValga, in Livonia, the son of a miller. According to Hagen, the inspiring surroundings of his\nchildhood home influenced his desire to become an artist. Young Hagen went to Tartu in\n1810 to work as a painter\u2019s apprentice, and a year later he began his studies in the graphics\nstudio of Karl August Senff (1770\u20131838).<\/p>\n
In 1820, Hagen moved to Germany to continue his education. From abroad, the artist sent\nhome dozens of oil landscape paintings. Travellers\u2019 notes from Hagen\u2019s travels in Germany,\nAustria, and Switzerland, written in vivid language, give an idea of the artist\u2019s development.\nAs well as painting, hiking, sightseeing, and encounters, the notes include descriptions of\nromantic adventures and dreams. The artist had dreamt of visiting Switzerland since\nchildhood. When hiking in the Alps, there was no need to look for motifs to paint, as they\nwere everywhere the eye could see. Hagen\u2019s diaries reveal that he achieved increasing\nmastery while traveling (Vallikivi, 2020). In 1824 the artist returned to his homeland, and\nfrom 1826 he was a drawing teacher at the Tartu Gymnasium, and from 1829 to 1832 also at\nthe school for girls. He also taught drawing to W. Fr. Kr\u00fcger, Fr. S. Stern, and H. E.\nHartmann. In 1837, Hagen received the title of freelance artist from the St Petersburg\nAcademy of Fine Arts.<\/p>\n
August Matthias Hagen continued teaching from 1838 to 1851 at the University of Tartu\nSchool of Drawing as Senff\u2019s successor, being the first drawing teacher of local origin. He\nretired due to failing eyesight but continued to draw until his death. Many of his drawings\nwere lithographed, which allowed them to be more widely distributed in the Baltic countries.<\/p>\n
Art historian Voldemar Vaga has appreciated Hagen\u2019s paintings less than his drawings,\nalthough the artist\u2019s style became freer and more realistic over time. According to Vaga,\nHagen\u2019s paintings are characterised by a matter-of-fact, subtle brushwork that emphasises\ndetail, while also being dry and rigid. Hagen was not interested in depicting air and light, his\nworks were dark and gloomy. Most of the artist\u2019s paintings are believed to have been\ndestroyed, including some of the 29 paintings bought for the imperial court by Vasily\nZhukovsky.<\/p>\n
August Matthias Hagen died on 2 December 1878, in Tartu.<\/p>\n
The main part of Hagen\u2019s oeuvre consists of cityscapes and landscapes in sepia, mixed\nmedia, and aquatint. A painting of the main gate of Viljandi Castle, with a shepherd standing\nin front of it and cows in the background in sepia and gouache style, was completed by the\n\nartist in the 1840s. At that time, it was not easy to get to the castle gates, as the earth wall\nconnecting the two hills was only built in 1927 (Vallikivi, 2020).<\/p>\n
Source: http:\/\/utlib.ut.ee\/kogud\/bskunst\/hagen.htm<\/p>\n