Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller

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Waldmüller is the most significant Austrian artist of the 19th century. His drive for a realistic representation of what he saw, as well as the power in his imagery, allowed him to stand out far beyond the ideals of his time and gain recognition beyond his country's borders. He created the most important portraits, landscapes, genre scenes, and still lifes of the so-called "Biedermeier period." Whether in the conquest of landscapes and the resulting credible depiction of proximity and distance, in the accurate characterization of human faces, in a detailed, finely crafted drawing of material details, or in the lively portrayal of rural life, his works are always pioneering. Waldmüller is simultaneously descriptive, explanatory, moralizing, and socially critical. In his later years, the master even transcended himself by transforming genre painting into a new realm, intertwining figures and landscapes to create a harmonious unity. This monograph showcases more than 200 of his outstanding works.