The Life and Artistic Training of Alexander Rothaug
Born in Vienna, Austria, Alexander Rothaug was the son of Theodor Rothaug and Karoline Rothaug. His artistic lineage was established early, as his maternal ancestors were also painters and sculptors. He began his formal training under the guidance of his father and his brother, Leopold Rothaug. In 1884, he pursued an apprenticeship as a sculptor with Johann Schindler, but he soon transitioned to the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna in 1885 to study painting. During his time at the Academy, he studied under August Eisenmenger, Christian Griepenkerl, and Franz Rumpler, and he also studied with the Orientalist painter Leopold Carl Müller until 1892.
In 1892, Rothaug moved to Munich, where he worked as an illustrator for the magazine Fliegende Blätter. His travels included trips to Dalmatia, Italy, and the island of Rügen. In 1912, he stayed in Mallorca at the invitation of Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria, a stay that resulted in the publication of Skizzen aus Miramar (Sketches from Miramar).
Works and Scholarly Contributions
Rothaug’s body of work includes various paintings and illustrations. His notable works include:
Beyond his visual art, Rothaug engaged in theoretical studies of the human form. In 1933, he published a collection of 10 plates titled Statik und Dynamik des menschlichen Körpers (Statics and Dynamics of the Human Body), which focused on proportion theory. He also authored a treatise titled Das Wissen in der Malerei (Knowledge in Painting), which included an appendix titled Gedanken über die Kunst und den Künstler (Thoughts on Art and the Artist).
