"S"

is 

for 

Spitzweg

Carl Spitzweg was a German romanticist painter and poet. He is considered to be one of the most important artists of the Biedermeier era. He was born in Unterpfaffenhofen in 1808 as the second of three sons of Franziska and Simon Spitzweg. His father, a wealthy merchant, had Carl trained as a pharmacist. He attained his qualification from the University of Munich, but while recovering from an illness he also took up painting. Spitzweg was self-taught as an artist, and began by copying the works of Flemish masters. He contributed his first work to satiric magazines. Upon receiving an inheritance in 1833, he was able to dedicate himself to painting. Later, Spitzweg visited European art centers, studying the works of various artists and refining his technique and style; he visited Prague, Venice, Paris, London, and Belgium. His later paintings and drawings are often humorous genre works. Many of his paintings depict sharply characterized eccentrics, for example The Bookworm (1850) and The Hypochondriac. He died in 1885 and is buried in Munich at the old south cemetery.

One of my priced possessions is a replica of one of his most famous paintings, "The Cactus Friend". It is painted in Oil and was a "Paint by number" project done by my beloved OPA, so that's why it is so extra special to me. I think he did an awesome job and I absolutely adore it.

The original

My Grandfather's painting as it hangs in my Dinning room