(Salzburg 1840–1884 Vienna)
A midsummer night’s dream, signed, dated Hans Makart 1868,
oil on canvas, 187 x 285 cm, framed.

Provenance:
Sotheby’s New York, 28 April 1977, lot 26; Fisher Fine Art, London 1978;
Private Collection, Germany; Sotheby’s London, 15 June 1982, lot 95;
Dorotheum Vienna, 1540th art auction, 9–16 September 1986, lot 443, ill. 21

Exhibited:
Austellungskatalog Bourgeois, London 1978, no. 3.

Catalogued in:
Gerbert Frodl, Hans Makart, Monographie und Werkverzeichnis, Residenz, Salzburg 1974, no. 102; Gerbert Frodl, Hans Makart, Werkverzeichnis der Gemälde, Verlag der Provinz, Belvedere, vol. III, Vienna 2013, p. 97, no. 126.

Compare:
Exhibition catalogue Giese and Schweiger, Vienna 1989, no. 7.

A copy of a certificate issued by Dr Gerbert Frodl (Vienna, July 1986) is available.

Hans Makart embodies the epitome of the Ringstraße art era, for lavishly furnished salons of the haute bourgeoisie, and imposing processions. At the Munich Academy, he was taught by the well-known historical painter Carl Theodor von Piloty. Through his manner of representation he influenced Makart decisively both in terms of content and form. In Makart’s paintings, the effects of this training are reflected in the dramatic quality of depiction, as well as in the rendering of materiality. After completing his studies with Piloty in 1866, he increasingly turned his back on historical painting, and devoted himself to portraying scenes from plays and literature. He also portrayed the Munich society ladies, and so he was soon able to establish a strong reputation in the Munich art scene. His self-assured manner certainly helped him secure one or two commissions. His sustained success and omnipresence at exhibitions increased his fame. Thus, it is unsurprising that in 1869 Makart was invited to come to Vienna by Emperor Franz Joseph I. The artist was granted his wish for a studio as well as an apartment at the state’s expense. In Vienna, Makart achieved a high degree of recognition. This came about, on the one hand, from carrying out prestigious assignments, such as the furnishing of a room of the art patron Nicolaus Dumba, or the execution of the Imperial couple’s silver wedding procession, and, on the other hand, also through his paintings, which repeatedly prompted both positive and negative criticism. His painting is often underlined by an almost expressive brush stroke, the use of the “Makart red” almost becoming his trademark.

His work is always underpinned by sensualisation; the diverse rendering of materiality and the treatment of the flesh of his protagonists testify to the high artistic demands the artist placed on himself. When Makart died at the age of 40, he was given an opulent funeral procession, where nearly all of Vienna was in attendance. His art set new standards and shaped those years before a new generation of artists came to the fore.