If Annie Leibovitz is considered as the High Society and Celebrities photographer, Franz Xaver Winterhalter was the High Society painter.
Born in Menzenschwand (Germany) in 1805, he was the most renowned portraitist of European Aristocracy in 19th century.
He captured the opulence and elegance of his distinguished clients, becoming one of the favorite artist of the royal personalities such us Queen Victoria, Empress Eugenia and Emperor Franz Joseph among others.
He rapidly gained popularity and fame for his ability to capture likenesses, and for his superb rendering of textures and fashionable details.
Early on Winterhalter was already revitalising the baroque tradition of imposing state portraits.
The sound skills gained from his training in graphics combine with an astonishing painterly finesse in Winterhalter’s art. The charming combination of authenticity and discreet idealisation captured as much the mood of the time as it did the keen fashion sense and the excellent reproduction of textiles and jewellery. The artist’s gift of representing his models on the canvas in a way that they themselves wished to be represented made him the darling of high society. The list of illustrious – in particular female – clients is so extensive that one can say with certainty that Winterhalter shaped an entire era of aristocratic imagery. His world-famous portrait of ‘Sisi’ became iconic and has defined our image of the Austrian empress to this day.
Born in Menzenschwand (Germany) in 1805, he was the most renowned portraitist of European Aristocracy in 19th century.
He captured the opulence and elegance of his distinguished clients, becoming one of the favorite artist of the royal personalities such us Queen Victoria, Empress Eugenia and Emperor Franz Joseph among others.
He rapidly gained popularity and fame for his ability to capture likenesses, and for his superb rendering of textures and fashionable details.
The sound skills gained from his training in graphics combine with an astonishing painterly finesse in Winterhalter’s art. The charming combination of authenticity and discreet idealisation captured as much the mood of the time as it did the keen fashion sense and the excellent reproduction of textiles and jewellery. The artist’s gift of representing his models on the canvas in a way that they themselves wished to be represented made him the darling of high society. The list of illustrious – in particular female – clients is so extensive that one can say with certainty that Winterhalter shaped an entire era of aristocratic imagery. His world-famous portrait of ‘Sisi’ became iconic and has defined our image of the Austrian empress to this day.
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