Maximilian Florian

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Maximilian Florian, 1968
in the Florian studio
Maximilian and his daughter Henriette Florian, 1973
Maximilian Florian, death mask

Maximilian Florian (born December 20, 1901 in Klagenfurt ; † January 24, 1982 in Klosterneuburg ) was an Austrian landscape , still life and portrait painter . He is one of the painters of the "Carinthian Group", which also includes Franz Wiegele , Anton Kolig and Herbert Boeckl .

life and work

Maximilian Florian was born on December 20, 1901 in the center of Klagenfurt , at Sterneckstrasse 8, as the second of three children to mother Katharina (née Krahsnig) and father Josef Maximilian.

Even if his talent for drawing was evident in childhood, Maximilian Florian was unable to study, mainly due to an illness in his father, but instead had to work as an apprentice in a grocery store. Due to his delicate constitution, however, he could not keep up this apprenticeship and so he switched to the goldsmith's trade in 1916 at the age of 15 .

After the First World War , Florian made friends with the Carinthian painter Ernst Riederer , who promoted him and gave him a scholarship at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna . Florian studied under Karl Sterrer and Rudolf Bacher from 1922 to 1930 .

In 1934 Florian witnessed the February fighting . Under these impressions he created a key picture of the Austrian interwar period, namely The Revolution . It shows the defense of the Engelsplatzhof , a Viennese community building in Vienna- Brigittenau, by units of the Schutzbund . The “revolution” is represented by a woman in a red dress who is clutched from behind by a dying man and pulled into the back of the picture, where other dead and wounded lie. The painting is now in the permanent exhibition of the Army History Museum (“Republic and Dictatorship” room) in Vienna. The painting The Burning St. Stephen's Cathedral , which was only created in 1960, a few years after the personal experience, is also on display there.

Maximilian Florian painted landscapes , still lifes , figure compositions and portraits , stylistically following the expressive realism of Herbert Boeckl , one of the main exponents of Austrian modernism . Regine Schmidt writes in the catalog for the Florian exhibition in 1990 in the Austrian gallery about the painter's still lifes: “A connection between nude and still life can be found in the ' Reclining Nude ' from 1930 (actually: the red bed , note), the flat one and reminded the dominant red of Matisse , in the solution of the dormant act of confident ability is not inferior to a Kolig : Florian daringly puts red, yellow, blue and green together, using blue primarily as a contour. "

And further: “The small-format picture Still Life with a Pipe, which has nothing from Wiegele , but the strength of Van Gogh , is also from 1932 . Demus ( Otto Demus , note) writes about this picture with the cleverly chosen image section: 'The following picture, a still life with a short pipe, is completely based on contour and surface effect. The colored areas are neatly weighed and spread out in a calm order. This is where the painter's decorative talent directed at the surface comes in handy '”.

During the Second World War he was considered a degenerate artist . In 1946 he was the first painter to exhibit his works in Vienna after the end of the war (Galerie Würthle).

Technology and style

“Maximilian Florian made one of the most colorful contributions to modern Austrian painting in his art. His heartfelt lyrical style of representation shows a significant painterly culture. For him, however, colors and shapes are not just "external", but signs of a world that cannot be rationally grasped. However, this knowledge does not cause him to turn away from objectivity, rather it appears to him to be like people, flowers, landscapes, signs of a world that is not deformed by the excess of modern consciousness and thought. The experience of his life as a creative artist is given a personal design whose aesthetic, painterly component, the origin, the education can be recognized. ”This is how art historian and museum director Wilhelm Mrazek put it at the 1973 exhibition in the Museum of Applied Art.

Oil, watercolor and chalk drawing were his preferred techniques. His works are a permanent part of the state galleries and private collections at home and abroad. Without too clear criticism, but in shocking truth, he depicts social grievances and serious events in his pictures, Vienna Revolution 1935 , The Burning Cathedral 1945 and Pregnant Woman , to name just a few works. In his landscapes, still lifes and portraits, in addition to the enormous vitality of the colors, he shows a painterly internalization that goes far beyond the subject. Among his sacred images, one of his later works should be named The Chosen of Life (Last Supper).

The expressionism of Maximilian Florian shows old age and death with the same forcefulness as that of Herbert Boeckl. In particular, oil paint and the technique of oil painting played an important role for Florian from the start. But he also created watercolors , drawings and sculptures . He also dealt with handicrafts , including the production of marionettes .

Exhibitions and awards

Florian sent numerous exhibitions, including in Vienna (1946), the II. International Show of Sacred Art in Trieste (1966), multiple exhibitions in Klagenfurt (including 1967 and 1971 in the Künstlerhaus Klagenfurt ). In 1973 he and his daughter Henriette showed an extensive exhibition of works in the Museum of Applied Art . In 1981, a year before his death, he exhibited some works in the Historical Museum of the City of Vienna . In 1990 there was a memorial exhibition in the Austrian Belvedere Gallery .

Florian has received numerous awards for his achievements. At a young age he received the Austrian State Prize for Graphics (1935) and Fine Arts (1936). In the 1950s he was awarded the Theodor Körner Prize. For his large-format picture The Chosen of Life (Last Supper) , Pope Paul VI. 1967 Jerusalem Gold Medal for Services to Sacred Art. On December 16, 1971, he was presented with the silver medal of the federal capital Vienna .

Pictures of Maximilian Florian own a. a. the graphic collection of the Albertina , the Austrian gallery , the Leopold collection , the Hans Dichand collection and the “Dr. L. Pressburger in Los Angeles, California. ”. When the lawyer and collector Dr. Pressburger emigrated to America, he exchanged a fortepiano from the Johann Fritz company , which once belonged to Franz Grillparzer and which Ludwig van Beethoven is said to have played on, for some pictures by Florian.

Death and aftermath

Maximilian Florian died on January 24, 1982 in Klosterneuburg-Weidling. Maximilian Florian had two sons, Ernst and Paul, and a daughter, Henriette Florian , who also became an artist.

"The importance of Maximilian Florian's creative output extends well beyond his lifespan. Contrary to the trends of the time, he remained true to his artistry. A major reason to represent and carry on this work is the intellectual, aesthetic and responsible attitude of the two artists towards art and creation. Man in his individuality and nature in its cosmic becoming find a central concern in their work. In their work there is the appreciation of all beings in their truth and beauty, which does not allow any harm. "

Oil on canvas
The Elect of Life (Last Supper) , 1960

Works (excerpt)

  • The red bed , 1930, oil on canvas, 54 × 82 cm, ins. left Below: M Florian 1930, Florian Collection, Vienna
  • Still life with a pipe , 1932, oil on canvas, 45 × 40 cm, ins. left below: Florian 32, right u .: Vienna, Florian Collection, Vienna
  • Vienna Revolution 1935 , oil on canvas, 90 × 70 cm, Heeresgeschichtliches Museum , Vienna
  • The plow , 1953, oil on canvas, 71 × 92 cm, ins. re. around. Florian, Florian Collection, Vienna
  • Burning Cathedral 1945 , 1960, oil on canvas, 110 × 170 cm, Heeresgeschichtliches Museum , Vienna
  • The Elected of Life (Last Supper) , 1960, oil on canvas, 750 × 280 cm, Chapel of the St. Rafael Monastery, Vienna
  • The blue mountain , 1963, oil on canvas, 130 × 100 cm, ins. re. around. Florian 1963, Florian Collection, Vienna
  • At the grave , 1977, oil on canvas, 73 × 125 cm, ins. left bottom: maximilian Florian Nov. Dec. 1977, Florian Collection, Vienna

Individual evidence

  1. Erich Tromayer : Maximilian and Henriette Florian, exhibition catalog . Self-published, Vienna 2008.
  2. Christine Huber: Maximilian Florian (1901-1982) life and work . Diploma thesis, Vienna 2003.
  3. ^ Army History Museum / Military History Institute (ed.): The Army History Museum in the Vienna Arsenal . Verlag Militaria , Vienna 2016, ISBN 978-3-902551-69-6 , p. 137
  4. ^ Regine Schmidt: Maximilian Florian 1901-1982, catalog for the 146th temporary exhibition of the Österreichische Galerie, pp. 7–11, Österreichische Galerie Wien 1990.
  5. Wilhelm Mrazek: Catalog for the double exhibition Maximilian Florian-Vater and Henriette Florian-Daughter, 1973 in the Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna . Ed .: self-published. Vienna.
  6. ^ Regine Schmidt: Maximilian Florian 1901-1982, catalog for the 146th temporary exhibition of the Österreichische Galerie, pp. 7–11, Österreichische Galerie Wien 1990.
  7. ^ Contribution by daughter Henriette Florian to the catalog for the Florian exhibition in 1990, ed. by Regine Schmidt
  8. Hanne Egghardt , WIENERIN, May 1988, pp. 95-99.
  9. ^ Heinrich Fuchs: The Austrian painters of the 20th century. Volume 1: AF. Vienna 1985, p. K 209 f.
  10. ^ Estate manager of the Florian collection and artistic assistant in the studio - sculptor Werner Lexen on the work of Maximilian and Henriette Florian

literature

  • Heinrich Fuchs: The Austrian painters of the 20th century. Volume 1: AF. Vienna 1985, p. K 209 f.
  • Manfried Rauchsteiner , Manfred Litscher (Ed.): The Army History Museum in Vienna. Vienna 2000, ISBN 3-222-12834-0 , p. 77.

Web links

Commons : Maximilian Florian  - Collection of images, videos and audio files