Runge, Philipp Otto (1777-1810)

German Romantic painter. He painted portraits, often of children, and allegories expressing his deeply held mystical view of life. A typical work is The Times of Day, a series of symbolic pictures of angels and fairies in a style which has affinities with William Blake's visionary paintings.

Born in Wolgast, Pomerania, he studied in Copenhagen and Dresden, and settled in Hamburg. Deeply influenced by the Romantics, he is noted for the melancholy gravity of his works, his portraits being remarkable for their clarity and openness. He also illustrated fairy tales by the Grimm brothers.