Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Visual Arts
The Great Fresco Artists
The tradition of fresco painting in Austria dates back to the mid- Romanesque era of the
11th century, when frescoes appeared for the first time in churches, depicting religious
scenes. Around 1200 original Romanesque frescoes were painted inside the former Dom
(cathedral) in Gurk in eastern Carinthia, and in 1270 these were revamped with a 'zigzag'
style, giving naturalistic figures long, flowing robes with folds; you can see some of these
in Gurk today.
In the Gothic era that followed from about the 14th century (as for instance in Vienna's
Stephansdom), fresco painting reached spatial limits due to vaulted ceilings and large win-
dows (this encouraged glass painting). The height of magnificent fresco painting was
therefore achieved in the baroque period of the 17th and early-18th centuries, when fresco
painting is associated with three major figures: Johann Michael Rottmayr (1654-1730),
Daniel Gran (1694-1757) and Paul Troger (1698-1762). Today the works of these three
greats predominate in Vienna and especially in Lower Austria.
Rottmayr and Gran were active during the high baroque, which spans the late 17th cen-
tury and early 18th century. Paul Troger, however, produced most of his work during the
late baroque or rococo period from the mid-18th century. Troger spent several years in
Italy learning techniques there and worked in Salzburg before moving to Vienna, where
Rottmayr had been setting the tone for fresco painting since 1696. Over time Troger be-
came the painter of choice for churches and monasteries in Lower Austria, and fine ex-
amples of his work survive in Stift Melk, Stift Zwettl and Stift Altenburg, as well as in the
Dom in Klagenfurt, where you can find a Troger altar painting. Schloss Schönbrunn in Vi-
enna also has work by Troger.
Rottmayr was Austria's first and the country's foremost baroque painter. He spent his
early years as a court painter to the Habsburgs in Salzburg before he moved to Vienna in
1696, dominating the scene there for the next three decades. He became the favoured
fresco painter of the architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and is often compared
to the Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens. His work brought together Italian and Flemish
influences into a style that featured plenty of bouncy, joyous figures and bright colours.
Fine frescoes from Rottmayr can be found in Vienna decorating the Karlskirche, where a
