Anton Romako - Buy or sell works

20 October 1832, Atzgersdorf (Austria) - 8 March 1889, Vienna (Austria)

Anton Romako was an Austrian artist who enjoyed particular prominence for his portraits, genre depictions and landscape paintings.

Born 1832 the son of an industrialist, Romako embarked on a degree course at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts in 1847. Following a period studying under Wilhelm Kaulbach in Munich, he returned to Vienna, where he was instructed by Carl Rahl.
Rome became his new home in 1856, where he enjoyed immense popularity and prestige for his portrayal of the rural population there. But he increasingly lost favour with his audience when he departed from the style of the Vienna Academy and turned to new artistic styles. His urge to achieve artistic self-actualisation cost him dearly, surrendering the unconditional favour of his peers and securing ever-fewer commissions. With their innovative, at times surreal choice of colours and Expressionist slant, his works no longer reflected contemporary tastes.
His marriage produced five children, who remained with their mother in Rome after the parents’ divorce.
The artist suffered a tragic stroke of fate in 1887 when two of his daughters took their own lives. Later on in life, Romako became increasingly reclusive and struggled with financial difficulties and poor health.
He died of a stroke 1889 in Vienna.

The Belvedere Museum Vienna owns a large collection of Romako’s works, among them his most famous history painting: "Admiral Tegethoff in the Naval Battle of Lissa".

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