Johann Georg Platzer

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Self-Portrait (1731)

Johann Georg Platzer (* 24. June 1704 in Appiano , South Tyrol , † 10. December 1761 ) was a painter of the Baroque .

Life

His parents were the painter Johann Victor Platzer and Christine, b. Ratschiller. He received painting lessons from his stepfather Josef Anton Kössler, later he was trained by his uncle Christoph Platzer , the then prince-bishop's court painter in Passau , and studied at the Vienna Academy at the age of 24 . A stay in Silesia with his patron Albrecht von Sebisch, a diplomat at the imperial court, can be assumed.

The painter's studio (1740/50)

There is evidence that Platzer lived in Vienna in 1734 , but returned to his homeland in 1739, presumably suffering from Parkinson's disease . He died there in 1761, well respected and wealthy. In his will, he bequeathed half of his considerable cash fortune to what was then St. Paul's Hospital in Eppan .

Platzer was a representative of the Viennese Rococo and is one of the most important fine painters of the 18th century. In choosing his motifs and painting technique, he was influenced on the one hand by the Dutch minor masters of the 17th century and on the other hand by the Rudolfin chamber painters such as the mannerists Hans von Aachen and Bartholomäus Spranger . In Platzer's architectural depictions there are influences from Italian painters such as Sebastiano Ricci , Alessandro Magnasco and the Galli Bibiena . The themes of his mostly small-format works are taken from mythology, the Bible and history or depict, among other things, court life in the 17th century. In his splendid festive presentations, he met lovers of overt and hidden eroticism - cheerful enjoyment of life is refined here and increased to the point of intoxication. Platzer liked to create opposing pairs and series of pictures (4 elements, 5 senses, etc.), which were often intended to equip cabinets (so Sebisch ordered 14 paintings). In doing so, he overwhelmed his pictures with (up to 100) figures and decorations that do not rest the eye and constantly allow you to discover new things. Tiny details and paintings in the painting lead to ever more hints and contexts of meaning. As a fine painter, he mostly painted on copper plates, as the fine lines on these smooth surfaces were not affected by the painting surface.

Museum reception, exhibitions

Paintings by Johann Georg Platzer can be viewed in the following museums: Universalmuseum Joanneum , Ferdinandeum , Belvedere Vienna , Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna , Saint Petersburg Hermitage , Louvre and in the Metropolitan Museum of Art , Alte Pinakothek Munich, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister , Dresden, Germanisches National Museum Nuremberg, Moravian State Museum Brno, Tyrolean State Museum Innsbruck, etc. a. m.

In 1996 the Residenzgalerie in Salzburg hosted a baroque festival Hand in hand, my life with pictures by Johann Georg Platzer and Franz Christoph Janneck .

2007 took place in Schloss Eggenberg , a special exhibition of masterpieces by the artist from famous museums (including Graz, Dresden, Vienna, Munich, Augsburg, Brno, Salzburg etz.) Entitled delicacy of painting instead.

Works (selection)

  • Card players (As ist Trumph) , around 1723/1728 (?), Oil on copper, 22 × 32 cm, Belvedere , Vienna
  • Amusement after the meal , around 1723/1728 (?), Oil on copper, 22 × 32 cm, Belvedere , Vienna
  • Samson's Revenge , around 1730/1740, oil on copper, 76 × 95 cm, Belvedere , Vienna
  • Rebecca at the fountain , around 1735, oil on copper, 37.5 × 49.5 cm, Belvedere , Vienna
  • The miraculous haul of fish , oil on copper, 44 × 63 cm, Residenzgalerie, Salzburg
  • The Gastmal of Cleopatra , around 1750, oil on copper, Hermitage, Saint Petersburg
  • The Oriental Festival , around 1750, oil on copper, Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Regina Kaltenbrunner: Platzer, Johann Georg , in: Neue Deutsche Biographie 20 (2001), p. 521, online

Web links

Commons : Johann Georg Platzer  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Platzer, Johann Georg
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian painter in the baroque era
DATE OF BIRTH June 24, 1704
PLACE OF BIRTH Eppan
DATE OF DEATH December 10, 1761
Place of death Eppan