Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller (1793 - 1865)

Waldmüller financed his irregular attendance at the Vienna Academy between 1807 and 1811 with bonbonnière and miniature portraits. Around 1817, he painted the pioneering portrait of Maria Henrietta von Stierle- Holzmeister (Berlin, State Museums, National Gallery). He achieved his breakthrough in 1827, with a portrait of Emperor Franz I. In 1835, he was appointed “Imperial Councillor”. In 1846 he published his first polemic against Academy teaching. In 1857, after years of support from Metternich, his third polemic finally resulted in enforced retirement on only half his salary. In 1863, the rebellious artist was rehabilitated by Emperor Franz Joseph I. His passionate endeavour for “truth” and his groundbreaking light-painting made him one of the most important representatives of Biedermeier realism.

Author: Oehring Erika

Literature: DUCKE Astrid, HABERSATTER Thomas, OEHRING Erika: Masterworks. Residenzgalerie Salzburg. Salzburg 2015, S. 162