A plea to art historians: when you set the table for great Baroque artists at the banquet of art history, be sure to reserve a seat at the head for Johann Georg Platzer!
Born into a family of painters in Eppan, South Tyrol, Austria (now Italy) in 1704, Platzer perfected his craft at the Akademie der bildenden Künste in Vienna, then began painting at the royal courts alongside his uncle, Christoph Platzer.
There and Back Again
After an extended sojourn in Vienna, Platzer resettled in Eppan in 1739 under uncertain circumstances. What prompted his return? Some say it was Parkinson’s Disease; other sources indicate a seizure or even a scandal (Platzer never married). In any case, Platzer remained in his hometown until his death in 1761.
Platzer’s biography may leave room for interpretation, but there is no disputing his stature as a prolific painter and draughtsman who was the shining star of Viennese Rococo.
Cuckoo for Rococo?
As in: Rococonuts. Because the works in this style, which picked up where 17th-century Flemish cabinet painting left off, must have seemed slightly crazy when they first appeared in the 18th century. Their jovial, witty subject matter and florid decorative motifs stood in stark contrast to the majesty, symmetry, and rigidity of Baroque as exemplified by the Palace of Versailles.
The Making of a Scene
“In the Painter’s Studio“ showcases Platzer’s finesse as a social chronicler. An unusually large work for Platzer, it depicts a scene in an artist’s studio. There is a lot to take in here! The painter, who is committing a monumental scene to canvas, has stopped working to listen to an elderly gentleman, who appears to critique the work-in-progress while consulting a book that lies open on his lap. An elegant couple dressed in the style of the full-length portraits of Anthony van Dyck waits in the foreground, while a man grins impishly as he grinds pigment, laughing at all the commotion.
Of which there is much more, of course – maybe even too much to mention. This consummate attention to detail, combined with the lively subject matter and chromatic and compositional mastery, is one of the reasons Platzer’s art is still compelling today.
“In The Painter’s Studio” is part of our Old Master Paintings auction on April 19, 2016.
Auction: Old Master Paintings
When: 19.04.2016 – 5pm
Where: Palais Dorotheum Wien
Preview April 9th-19th
Monday – Friday 10am-6pm
(except on Tuesday 19th April 10am-6.30pm)
Saturday 9am-5pm
Viewing open also Sunday April 10th and 17th 2pm-5 pm
Video: Old Master Paintings Preview
