Saturday, July 10, 2021

Biedermeier Style


The Church of Our Dear Lady in Esslingen by Michael Neher (1798-1876)

"Biedermeier" is a term for a style of art in Germany, Scandinavia, and northern Italy between 1815 and 1835.

Photo by Jan Fidler

The term is also used to describe interior furnishings of the period. As Neoclassicism gave way to Romanticism, the strict, cool simplicity of classicism was overlaid with ornament and made cozy and familiar.


The term was used in a derogatory way, deriving from the comic figure known as "Papa Biedermeier."

Woman Embroidering, Georg Friedrich, 1814

As the middle class was emerging, many people found contentment at home, reading, playing piano, or doing needlework. 

Waldmuller Corpus Christi Morn Belvedere 

Later critics argued that the Biedermeier art wasn't challenging enough, and that it just served to reassure comfortable people that their values were OK. 

Carl Spitzweg

As often happens when art movements are branded with a disparaging title, later adherents proudly carry that title as their badge of honor.
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5 comments:

Drake Gomez said...

The third painting from the top reminds me of Degas' great portrait of the Bellelli family. If I recall, the Bellelli were Italian relatives of Degas, which makes me wonder if Degas might have been influenced by this Biedermier-style painting (assuming it was earlier than his painting). Either way, I think Degas' work is far superior.

James Thompson said...

true

CerverGirl said...

I love the face reflection in “Woman Embroidering” at the right of the painting.
Also the older woman in the large mirror in the third image.

CerverGirl said...

I love the face reflection in “Woman Embroidering” at the right of the painting.
Also the older woman in the large mirror in the third image…
IG: @catherinecervas_soulsidewalk

David Guegan said...

One has to think that the Biedermeier style was born from the Congress of Vienna and the end of the Napoleonic era.
The Austrian minister von Metternich and others thought that removing politics from everyday life would refrain people from having ideas about revolution.

https://www.visitingvienna.com/culture/biedermeier/