In 1832, Ittenbach became a pupil, at the age of 19, of the Düsseldorf Academy, where he also received private lessons from its president, Schadow. He is associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting. He was a member of the Nazarene movement and associated himself mainly with three of his friends and fellow-students: Karl Müller and Andreas Müller, and Ernst Deger.
In 1832, Ittenbach began his artistic education at the Düsseldorf Academy under Schadow's guidance, a key figure in the Düsseldorf school of painting. He was part of the Nazarene movement and collaborated with Karl Müller, Andreas Müller, and Ernst Deger, fellow students who shared his artistic aspirations.