24 Works, Today, May 28th. is Hans Makart's day, his story, illustrated with footnotes #146

Hans Makart

A feast in the park

Oil on canvas

28 x 41 cm 

Private collection

Hans Makart (28 May 1840 – 3 October 1884) was a 19th-century Austrian academic history painter, designer, and decorator. He is best known for his influence on Gustav Klimt and other Austrian artists, but in his own era he was considered an important artist himself and a celebrity figure in the high culture of Vienna and attended with almost cult-like adulation.

Hans Makart  (1840–1884) 

A Vienna style porcelain plaque, 'Funf Sinnen' (The Five Senses)

Vienna, late 19th/early 20th century

Each titled to the reverse, Der Geruch, Das Face, Der Geschmach, Das Gehre and Dasfühl

The smell, the face, the taste, the hearing and the feeling

each 39.5cm. x 9cm., 15½in. x 3½in.

Private collection

In the Five Senses Makart depicts five female nudes, on five separate canvases, each placed in a forest setting. The women are "rotated" towards a different viewpoint and are engaged respectively (reading from left-to-right) in the activities of touching, hearing, seeing, smelling, and tasting. The prevailing theme is unambiguous however: female eroticism. More on this painting

Makart first studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna in 1858. However, after being classified as untalented, he was forced to leave his first place of studies. Makart moved to Munich and started studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts under history painter Karl Theodor von Piloty, whose dramatically staged historical paintings were echoed in the later works of the student.

Hans Makart, 1840 Salzburg - 1884 Vienna

SUSANNA AND THE ELDERS, c. 1860/62

. Oil on canvas

161 x 79 cm. 

Private Collection

The naked Susanna, lying on a rocky fountain, fell asleep during bathing. Innocently dreaming under a tree, she barely reveals her bodily stimuli - only lightly covered with a white cloth. At her feet different birds and a water drinking peacock (symbol of beauty and immortality), in the background by her head the source of the stream. Behind a rocky protrusion, the two lusty old men are lurking.

The picture was painted around 1860/62 and was certainly inspired by the painting by A. v. Dyck in the Old Pinakothek in Munich "Susanna and the two old ones." More on this painting

A fair Hebrew wife named Susanna was falsely accused by lecherous voyeurs. As she bathes in her garden, having sent her attendants away, two lustful elders secretly observe the lovely Susanna. When she makes her way back to her house, they accost her, threatening to claim that she was meeting a young man in the garden unless she agrees to have sex with them.

She refuses to be blackmailed and is arrested and about to be put to death for promiscuity when a young man named Daniel interrupts the proceedings, shouting that the elders should be questioned to prevent the death of an innocent. After being separated, the two men are questioned about details of what they saw, but disagree about the tree under which Susanna supposedly met her lover. In the Greek text, the names of the trees cited by the elders form puns with the sentence given by Daniel. The first says they were under a mastic, and Daniel says that an angel stands ready to cuthim in two. The second says they were under an evergreen oak tree, and Daniel says that an angel stands ready to saw him in two. The great difference in size between a mastic and an oak makes the elders' lie plain to all the observers. The false accusers are put to death, and virtue triumphs. More about Susanna

Hans Makart, 1840 Salzburg - 1884 Vienna

Leda and the Swan

Oil on canvas

40½ x 53 in. (103 x 135 cm.) 

Private collection

Leda, in Greek legend, usually believed to be the daughter of Thestius, king of Aetolia, and wife of Tyndareus, king of Lacedaemon. She was also believed to have been the mother (by Zeus, who had approached and seduced her in the form of a swan) of the other twin, Pollux, and of Helen, both of whom hatched from eggs. Variant legends gave divine parentage to both the twins and possibly also to Clytemnestra, with all three of them having hatched from the eggs of Leda, while yet other legends say that Leda bore the twins to her mortal husband, Tyndareus. Still other variants say that Leda may have hatched out Helen from an egg laid by the goddess Nemesis, who was similarly approached by Zeus in the form of a swan.The divine swan’s encounter with Leda was a subject depicted by both ancient Greek and Italian Renaissance artists; Leonardo da Vinci undertook a painting (now lost) of the theme, and Correggio’s Leda (c. 1530s) is a well-known treatment of the subject. More Leda and The Swan

Hans Makart (Austrian, Salzburg 1840–1884 Vienna)

The Dream after the Ball

Oil on canvas

62 3/8 x 37 1/4 in. (158.4 x 94.6 cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The first picture he painted under Piloty, Lavoisier in Prison, though it was considered timid and conventional, attracted attention by its sense of color. In his next work, The Knight and the Water Nymphs, he first displayed the decorative qualities to which he afterwards sacrificed everything else in his work. 

Hans Makart, 1840 Salzburg - 1884 Vienna

Bacchus and Ariadne/ The triumph of Ariadne, c. from 1873 until 1874

Oil on canvas

476 x 784 cm

Belvedere,  Vienna

Abandoned by her lover Theseus on the island of Naxos, Ariadne was discovered by Bacchus and his followers, who received her into the chariot of the god. Although not part of the narrative, the so-called Triumph of either Bacchus alone or Bacchus and Ariadne in a chariot, accompanied by a procession of nymphs, satyrs, centaurs, putti and all sorts of animals, was a popular decorative subject, often found on Roman sarcophagi. More on the triumph of Ariadne

Hans Makart, 1840 Salzburg - 1884 Vienna

Marmorherzen/ Marble hearts

Oil on canvas

Private collection

His fame became established in the next year, with two works, Modern Amoretti (See below) and The Plague in Florence (See below). His painting Romeo and Juliet (See below) was soon after bought by the Austrian emperor for the Vienna Museum, and Makart was invited to come to Vienna by the aristocracy.

Hans Makart, 1840 Salzburg - 1884 Vienna

Moderne Amoretten , c. 1868

Oil on canvas

Height: 80 cm (31.4 in); Width: 149 cm (58.6 in)

Belvedere,  Vienna

The three canvasses that make up this work are here arranged as Makart himself stipulated. All three depict a woodland scene, populated by pale-skinned women. Clutching one another, they are clad in loose, flowing drapery which appears to evoke a scandalously revealing version of contemporary fashions. In the central canvas, a woman crowned with flowers and two others are borne up by four young children, two cupids and two fauns.. More on this painting

Hans Makart, 1840 Salzburg - 1884 Vienna

Modern Amoretti, right panel of three main panels

Oil on canvas

Belvedere,  Vienna

Hans Makart, 1840 Salzburg - 1884 Vienna

Modern Cupids: Little princess as May Queen carried by boys in triumph

Oil on canvas

100 x 58 cm 

Belvedere,  Vienna

Hans Makart, 1840 Salzburg - 1884 Vienna

Modern Amoretti, left panel of three main panels

Oil on canvas

Belvedere,  Vienna

Hans Makart, 1840 Salzburg - 1884 Vienna

The Plague in Florence, c. 1868

Oil on canvas

103x204.5cm

Private collection

In March 1348 the plague reached Florence, where it lasted until July. Neither formally educated medical doctors nor the traditional male and female folk healers and medical practitioners could do anything about it. The infected died within three days, people were infected by the smallest contact even with the clothes or other objects handled by the ill. dead bodies were being thrown out upon the streets, after which the animals who started to touch it fell down dead. Priests and other authorities died so swiftly that the administration and law and order collapsed. People refused to bury their dead, who were instead buried by a special group of grave diggers recruited from the poorest beggars, in mass graves. Those who could not pay left the bodies on the street, which were soon full of rotting corpses.

100.000 people died in Florence. This is not possible because the whole city population did not reach that number, but the death toll was nonetheless very high. One of the most known victims was the painter Bernardo Daddi. More on the Plague in Florence

Hans Makart, 1840 Salzburg - 1884 Vienna

Balcony scene, Romeo and Juliet, circa 1920

Oil on canvas

I have no further description, at this time

Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about two young Italian star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with Hamlet, is one of his most frequently performed plays. Today, the title characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers. More on Romeo and Juliet

Hans Makart, 1840 Salzburg - 1884 Vienna

Romeo and Juliet

Oil on Canvas

37 x 42.5 cm. (14.6 x 16.7 in.)

Private collection

Hans Makart, 1840 Salzburg - 1884 Vienna

Romeo and Juliet , c. 1863–1864

Oil on Canvas

111 x 132 cm. (43.7 x 52 in.)

Private collection

He undertook study trips to England, France and Italy until he finally returned to Vienna. Makart's work, like those of other academic artists of the time, consisted of allegorical painting and history painting as seen in Catherina Carnaro (See below), Dianas Hunt (See below), The Entry of Charles V into Antwerp, Abundantia (See below), Spring (See below), Summer (See below), The Death of Cleopatra (See below), The Five Senses (See above), and Bacchus and Ariadne (See above). 

Hans Makart, 1840 Salzburg - 1884 Vienna

Venice pays homage to Caterina Cornaro, c. between 1872 and 1873

Oil on canvas

Height: 400 cm (13.1 ft); Width: 1,060 cm (11.5 yd)

Belvedere, Vienna

Catherine Cornaro was the last monarch of the Kingdom of Cyprus. She was queen consort of Cyprus by marriage to James II of Cyprus, regent of Cyprus during the minority of her son James III of Cyprus in 1473–1474, and finally queen regnant of Cyprus. She reigned from 26 August 1474 to 26 February 1489 and was declared a "Daughter of Saint Mark" in order that the Republic of Venice could claim control of Cyprus after the death of her husband, James II. More on Catherine Cornaro

In this vast tableau a large crowd gathers to pay tribute to a seated and richly-robed Queen who sits towards the right of the picture frame. Clothed in the richly-colored style that recalled the Venetian Renaissance, the crowd carry pots, musical instruments and even weapons. Fabrics drape the backdrop on the right-hand side, but to the left, blue sky, classical architecture and the sails of ships can be seen.

Makart's first history painting, Venice pays tribute to Caterina Cornaro was an unprecedented success; people flocked in their thousands to see it in Vienna before it toured throughout Europe. More on this painting

Hans Makart, 1840 Salzburg - 1884 Vienna

Painted by H. Reldas, signed after Hans Makart

The Hunt of Diana, with Actaeon as a stag pursued by the goddess and her hounds

height 10 1/8 in.; width 15 5/8 in., 25.7 cm; 39.7 cm

Private collection

Actaeon accidentally saw Artemis naked, while she was bathing in the woods; amazed at her beauty, he was spotted by the goddess, who told him not to speak again or he would change into a deer. Upon hearing his hunting dogs, however, Actaeon called them and immediately transformed into a deer. So, he started running into the woods, but his well-trained dogs found him and tore him to pieces. The myth of Actaeon was considered to represent human sacrifice in an effort to appease a deity. More on the Hunt of Diana, with Actaeon

After Hans Makart, 1840 Salzburg - 1884 Vienna

The Hunt of Diana, ca. 1875–1899

Porcelain plaque

37.8 x 24 cm. (14.9 x 9.4 in.)

Private collection

Hans Makart, 1840 Salzburg - 1884 Vienna

The Entrance of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, into Antwerp in 1520, c. 1878

Oil on canvas

Height: 520 cm (17 ft); Width: 952 cm (10.4 yd)

Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna

Charles V was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (Castile and Aragon) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy from 1506 to 1555. As he was head of the rising House of Habsburg during the first half of the 16th century, his dominions in Europe included the Holy Roman Empire, extending from Germany to northern Italy with direct rule over the Austrian hereditary lands and the Burgundian Low Countries, and a unified Spain with its southern Italian kingdoms of Naples, Sicily, and Sardinia. Furthermore, his reign encompassed both the long-lasting Spanish and the short-lived German colonizations of the Americas. The personal union of the European and American territories of Charles V was the first collection of realms labelled "the empire on which the Sun never sets".  More on Charles V

Set in 1520, this work shows the youthful king riding a black horse into the centre of Antwerp, flanked by ornately-dressed subjects and several semi-naked women. They proceed along a street strewn with flowers, with the tops of houses visible above them.

The Entrance of Emperor Charles V into Antwerp was the source of considerable controversy at the time of its first exhibition due to Makart's inclusion of the naked female figures. This was dismissed as both historically inaccurate and somewhat indecorous for a scene which was central to Austria's sense of national identity. More on this painting

Hans Makart, 1840 Salzburg - 1884 Vienna

Spring, c. 1884

3,70 x 6,30 m

Salzburg Museum

Hans Makart, 1840 Salzburg - 1884 Vienna

The Summer, c. 1880

Oil on canvas

Alte Nationalgalerie

Hans Makart, 1840 Salzburg - 1884 Vienna

The Death of Cleopatra

Oil on canvas

191 cm x 255 cm

State Museum, Germany

In this painting Cleopatra, the legendary queen of Egypt, is shown at the moment just before her suicide. She reclines on a bed of fabrics, semi-nude and wearing jewelry and her crown. To her left, one of her servants weeps, whilst just below the queen another has already passed. A brazier burns on the left-hand side.

Theatrical melodrama pervades Makart's depiction of this famous subject matter; his use of chiaroscuro picks out the stark whiteness of Cleopatra's body, as if she were spot-lit on a stage. In fact, many details seem to have been drawn from Shakespeare's account, such as the presence of the servants, and the detail of the queen's royal attire. The spot-lighting then leaves the other areas of the painting, in which can be found mourning and death, murky and foreboding. In the bottom-left of the frame, meanwhile, the flowers and animal skins seem almost to be rendered in grisaille (flat shades of grey). These great contrasts in lighting culminate in the brazier, whose silhouette is topped by a bright white flame. As a whole, the painting evokes the sense of the queen's preeminence and the moment of her death; a tragic elevation before her fall which seems to engender her far-off, almost longing facial expression. More on this painting

Hans Makart, 1840 Salzburg - 1884 Vienna

The Death of Cleopatra, c.  1875

Oil on panel

Height: 122.5 cm (48.2 in); Width: 83 cm (32.6 in)

Private collection

Initially, the reputable artist received state funding for his specially designed atelier. In 1876, Makart became the Director of the special School of Historical Painting at the Academy, which had once rejected him on the basis of supposed lack of talent.

Makarts paintings were influenced by his role models Titian and Rubens. His pictures are characterized by intense sensuality, baroque pathos and opulent colourfulness. In addition to working as a painter, Makart also worked as an interior decorator, especially for his patron Nikolaus Dumba. On his behalf he took over the design of the staircase of the Art History Museum in Vienna.

Hans Makart, 1840 Salzburg - 1884 Vienna

A Nubian, 1875/1876

Oil on canvas

height 272 cm, width 155 cm

LIECHTENSTEIN. The Princely Collections

In 1875/76 Hans Makart travelled to Egypt accompanied by a number of fellow-artists. They took up residence in an abandoned palace called Musaffir Chan which the viceroy Ismail Pascha had placed at their disposal. At that period, journeys to the land of the Nile were almost de rigueur, quenching the artists' longing for new and exotic subjects as well as satisfying the demands of their customers for unusual depictions of the oriental lifestyle and foreign luxury goods.

In this painting Makart has created a balance between the figure of the Nubian, which is rendered slightly from below, and the surrounding architecture. Clad in light-coloured robes and a red turban, the dark-skinned man stands out against a gloomy corner of a wall belonging to some unidentifiable architectural structure. On his left he wears a richly bejewelled sword. In one hand he clasps a string of beads while the other is draped on his thigh. More on this painting

Even if the "prince of painters" Makart was ridiculed by many after his death because of his extravagant style, he exerted a considerable influence on younger painter such as Gustav Klimt. In addition, his elaborately furnished studio, a work of art in its own right, evoked great admiration in the visitors. To this day, the so-called "Makartstyle" describes the influential style of interior decoration, characterized by the use of plush, elaborate wall hangings, dark paneling and gorgeous chandeliers. Makarts works are now found in numerous international collections, e.g. the Neue Pinakothek in Munich, the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest and the Kunsthalle in Hamburg. More on Hans Makart

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

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