(Graz 1852–1927)
Riviera, Breaking Waves in Boccadasse, 1889, signed, dated A. Zoff. Karlsruhe 1889, oil on canvas, 100 x 161 cm, framed

Catalogued and Illustrated in:
Martin Suppan, Alfred Zoff. Ein österreichischer Stimmungsimpressionist, Vienna 1991, ill. p. 43, p. 292, no. 125;
Claudia Suppan (ed.), Alfred Zoff 1852–1927. Die Faszination des Meeres. Monografie mit Werkverzeichnis, Vienna 2021, p. 287, GE 241.

Born in Graz in 1852, Alfred Zoff became one of the leading figures of atmospheric landscapes and Austrian Post-Impressionism. After studying at the Academy of Fine arts in Vienna with Eduard Peithner von Lichtenfels, he gained notoriety when Emperor Franz Joseph purchased one of his paintings as a part of the annual exhibition of the Vienna Künstlerhaus.

Alfred Zoff worked at a time where the conventions around landscape painting were changing. In 19th century Austria, Realism largely dominated the scene of landscape painting, with artists painting in a more academic manner. His interest in medicine gave him a scientific approach to life and landscape; he developed sense of man and nature, which transpired into his works. For Zoff however, Realism lacked liveliness and with the development and spread of Impressionism, he began loosening his brushstrokes and layering thick layers of paint. His landscapes were not idealized, but he rather focused on depicting movement and creating an atmosphere. After a trip to the Croatian city of Ičići in 1878, seascapes and coastal landscapes became one of Zoff’s favoured subjects. Later, he moved to the Grand Ducal School of Art in Karlsruhe in 1884, where his colour palette opened, and he loosened his impastos.

While Carinthia was Alfred Zoff’s favourite location to paint, he also travelled to Belgium and Italy, where he drew inspiration for his works. Set in the Italian village of Boccadasse, this painting is an accurate portrayal of reality, not through emphasis on realism but rather through the movement of the water and the colour palette; Zoff manages to depict the changing behaviour of the sea through the agitated waves and the precipitous cliffs.

Later returning to Graz to teach at the Steiermärkische Landeskunstschule and training new generations of artists, he had a profound influence on the development of Austrian painting and the export of Stimmungsimpressionism. Alfred Zoff created works that were precise observations but managed to meet the public taste by experimenting with techniques and incorporating new styles.