Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe He was a German writer, poet and scientist born in 1749. He is considered one of the most important authors of German and world literature. He also wrote an essay on meteorology and is known for creating the "cloud game."

In this article we are going to tell you about the biography and exploits of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

Biography of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe biography

His father, Johann Caspar Goethe, an enlightened lawyer, withdrew from public life and raised his children alone. His mother, Catharina Elizabeth Textor, was the daughter of the former mayor of Frankfurt, which linked him to the aristocratic Frankfurt bourgeoisie. All of the couple's children died young, except for Goethe and his sister Cornelia Friedrich. Christiana, born in 1750.

Goethe was almost omnipotent: theater director, critic, journalist, politician, diplomat, painter, educator, philosopher, historian, opera writer, not only dabbled in science, but eventually became a novelist, memoirist, playwright, writer and poet. With a prodigious intellect and exemplary poise of mind, achieved through rigorous discipline, he exemplified a certain European ideal based on cultural and universal curiosity.

He studied law at the University of Leipzig, there he developed an interest in literature and painting. He also studied occultism, astrology and alchemy. His mother's friend, Katharina von Klettenberg, introduced him to religious mysticism.

Returning to Weimar in 1788, he found opposition to his new literary principles and hostility in some court circles because of his cohabitation with the young Christiane Vulpius, who in December 1789 had a son. She became his wife in 1806, with whom they had five children, though only the eldest, Julius August, came of age. Goethe himself wanted to become a famous scientist.

feats with science

ecologist poet

Biology has long been recognized as indebted to him, especially the concept of morphology, which is the basis of the theory of evolution. He considers the most important work of his Zur Farbenlehre of 1810, the Goethe's theory of colors in which he attempted to discredit Newtonian science. From 1791 to 1813 he directed the Ducal Theatre.

He became friends with the German playwright Friedrich von Schiller. This relationship, which lasted from 1794 until Schiller's death in 1805, was of great importance to Goethe. Major works were contributions to Schiller's periodical The Hours, including the Roman Elegies (1795), a series of works inspired by his collaboration with Christiane Vulpius) in the tender love poems inspired by his relationship with the 1980s; the novel The Apprentice Years by William Meister (1796) and the epic idyll Hermann and Dorothea (1798). Schiller also encouraged Goethe to rewrite Faust, the first part of which was published in 1808. The period from 1805 until his death in Weimar was productive.

Theory of colors and the game of clouds by Johan Wolfgang von Goethe

cloud game

Color theory developed by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe holds that colors are not divided into primary and secondary components, but are psychological phenomena that occur within human vision when perceiving light. In his work "Colour Theory", Goethe describes how colors can be seen as a continuous spectrum and how different combinations of colors can produce different visual effects.

As for the game of clouds, it is a detailed and thoughtful observation of clouds and atmospheric phenomena. Goethe believed that clouds were a natural art form and could be studied with the same rigor as any other object in nature. Through the cloud game, he developed a deeper understanding of nature and made an important contribution to the meteorological science of his time.

For Goethe to stop and gaze at the clouds, a major change had to take place in his life. The poet quickly rose to fame with a novel that inspired countless suicides, The Misadventures of Young Werther, but his initial pre-Romantic enthusiasm quickly faded. A trip to Italy led him to many different artistic interests until he became the most influential figure in German classicism.

For the first time he was interested in the shape of clouds. This is known thanks to a collection of notes that Goethe established in his diary, known as the Acts of Heaven chronology. The narrative notes, closer to description than to analysis, are of great literary intensity and are divided into four sections -Strate, Cumulus, Cirrus and Nimbus- preceded by a poem.

After returning from Italy, the poet ensured a peaceful life at the Weimar court. Heir to the tradition of Hellenistic philosophy, he cultivated numerous disciplines based on the values ​​of balance and harmony. Poetry and theater exalted him, but his Renaissance character led him to science. Goethe studied the phenomenon of color in color theory on the basis of optical assumptions that were in dispute with those of Isaac Newton.

In addition to the works of Fernando Vicente, The game of clouds also contains illustrations of the more than 3.000 surviving drawings of the eclectic creator. Some of them wanted to show the shape that the sky took “according to the measurements made in my first notes”, as one of the notes indicated. It is not until the second part that we see the poet in all his splendor. The Essay on Meteorology evokes from his work on temperature the two dimensions that make Goethe a complete figure: the scientific and the literary. This book brings together all your artistic concerns.

Death of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe He died on March 22, 1832 in Weimar, at the age of 82. The cause of his death was heart disease. Goethe has left a lasting legacy not only in literature and culture, but also in science, philosophy, and politics. His work continues to be read and studied throughout the world and his influence extends far beyond the time and place of his birth.

I hope that with this information you can learn more about the biography and exploits of Johan Wolfgang von Goethe.


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