Painter. Friedrich Wilhelm Schadow, a German Romantic painter, was the second child of Johann Gottfried Schadow , renowned German Neoclassical sculptor. First, he studied under his father and Friedrich Georg Weitsch. He was known professionally as Wilhelm von Schadow signing his works as "W. v. Schadow." From 1806 to 1807, he served in the Prussian military. In 1810 he and his brother Rudolph came to Rome as students, with his brother studying sculpturing and him studying painting. Becoming a leader in the Nazarene movement with Johann Friedrich Overbeck, he supported the idea that an artist must believe in order to truly paint. As Overbeck, he converted from his protestant faith of Lutheran to Roman Catholic and encouraged his brother to do this also. He was a member of the San Luca Academy. While in Rome, he and four other young painters received a commission from the Prussian consult to decorate a room in a prominent home. With a Biblical theme, he painted "Bloody Coat" and "Joseph in Prison." In January of 1822 his brother Rudolph unexpectedly dies in Rome. Returning to Germany, he painted murals in churches. In 1826 he accepted the position of director of the Düsseldorf Academy of the Arts, promoting the production of Christian art. In 1832 after having a major dispute with one of the professors, he left the academy. Having a following of young artists, he became a teacher and mentor to other painters. With these students, he developed what would become the internationally famous Düsseldorf School of Painting, which emphasized landscape and plein air painting. Among the thousands of art students attending the Düsseldorf School of Painting are Heinrich Mücke; Eastman Johnson, the founder of the Metropolitan Museum in New York City; Ernest Crofts, historical battle artist from the Royal Academy; George B. Luks, a member of "The Eight", who started the Ashcan School of Art in New York City; and Emanuel Leutze, who painted, "Washington Crossing the Delaware." He authored in 1843 "The Influence of Christianity on the Visual Arts" and in 1854 "Memories of the Artist's Life," a collection of biographical sketches. His 1842 painting, "Wish and Foolish Virgins" is considered one of his masterpieces, and is on displayed at the Stadel Museum. He painted a few portraits. Considering this his "swan song," his powerful 1852 "Pieta," shows a mourning Virgin Mary holding in her arms a lifeless Jesus after being removed from the cross. In 1820 he married Charlotte Groschke, the daughter of a court physician, and the couple had a daughter and a son, who had a military career. After his death, a monument bearing his name was erected in the square at a jubilee celebration, which was held to commemorate his directorate of the Düsseldorf School of Painting.