He was the second son of the City Architect, Josef Willroider. His older brother, , was also a landscape painter. Like his brother, he began as a carpentry apprentice in his father's workshop before turning to art. He then received drawing lessons from his brother and the landscape painter, Jakob Canciani (1820–1891) In 1866, at the age of twenty-three, he left Villach to study at the
Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. There, he received training from
Eduard Schleich the Elder and, although he was not accepted into his classes, from
Adolf Heinrich Lier. While there, he also took
Carl Ebert as his mentor and accompanied him on painting trips. Originally from
Stuttgart, Ebert was closely associated with the animal painters,
Christian Mali and
Anton Braith, and was one of the first in Germany to promote
plein aire painting. Willroider was also able to take advantage of Ebert's studio spaces, offered to seven local painters, without charge. He was a regular participant in exhibitions at the
Glaspalast, where he received numerous medals, honors and commendations. Later, he would exhibit throughout Germany. His favorite places to paint were in
Upper Bavaria, especially around the
Starnberger See, also in the
Isar valley and
Carinthia, in
Viktring. After 1886, he expanded his travels to include
South Tyrol and Northern Italy. In addition to his painting excursions, he made study trips to the Netherlands in the 1860s and 70s. In 1883, he was named an honorary member of the Academy in Munich. Three years later, he received the title of Professor from
Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria. After his retirement, he divided his time between Munich and the Starnberger See. == References ==