Thomas of Villach

Self-portrait in the collegiate church of St. Paul

Thomas von Villach (* between 1435 and 1440 in Thörl near Arnoldstein ; † between 1523 and 1529 in Villach ; also: Thomas Artula , Master of Gerlamoos ) was an Austrian painter of frescoes and panel paintings from the late Gothic period .

Thomas von Villach, whose real name is Thomas Artula, was probably a pupil and successor of Friedrich von Villach . He worked in Villach from around 1455 and is considered to be the most important fresco and panel painter in Carinthia of his time ( Villach School ).

Donor fresco in the collegiate church of St. Paul

The inclusion of Italian influences is unmistakable in his work. Later he dealt with Dutch art. The most important of the works attributed to him are the " Landplagenbild " ( Landplagenbild ) from 1485 at Graz Cathedral and the frescoes in St. Paul Abbey from 1493. Other frescoes were created in Gerlamoos and Thörl , among others, and Gothic-style panels are in Villach, Klagenfurt, among others and Bolzano, including the depiction of the legendary Carinthian Carantan Duke Domitian , who is said to have lived around the year 800, as well as a picture of the Apostle Thomas from around 1500. In his hometown of Thörl he painted the frescoes in the choir of the local church perpetuated.

Thomas von Villach was characterized in particular by very fine, detailed representations.

The following description of the artist by Paolo Santonino , a secretary to the Bishop of Caorle, has come down to us from 1486 :

The painter is a citizen of Villach, learned his art there and grew old with it. He is a small man in stature, with a calm expression on his face and an erect senses, he is poor because, as it is said, he often surrenders his work for free, because he does not prosecute those who flatly refuse to pay their debt.

Image of the six saints in the Villach City Museum

Entombment of Christ, fresco in the parish church of Sankt Andrä in Thörl-Maglern, Carinthia

From 1520, Thomas von Villach also held the office of city judge in Villach when he was old.

Remarks

↑ Helmut Hundsbichler: Paolo Santonino's “Travel Diaries” in a new perspective. In: Volker Schimpff , Wieland Führ (ed.): Historia in museo. Festschrift for Frank-Dietrich Jacob on his sixtieth birthday. Beier & Beran, Langenweißbach 2004, ISBN 3-930036-94-0 , pp. 215-223, here pp. 218f .; Helmut Hundsbichler: The “beautiful” city of Villach in the “Itinerarium” by Paolo Santonino (1486). In: Helmut Bräuer, Gerhard Jaritz, Käthe Sonnleitner (eds.): Viatori per urbes castraque. Festschrift for Herwig Ebner on his 75th birthday (= series of publications by the Institute for History. Vol. 14). Institute for History, Graz 2003, ISBN 3-901921-19-2 , pp. 293-299.

Web links

Commons : Thomas von Villach - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Literature by and about Thomas von Villach in the catalog of the German National Library

personal data
SURNAME	Thomas of Villach
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Thomas Artula; Master of Gerlamoos
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Austrian painter
DATE OF BIRTH	between 1435 and 1440
PLACE OF BIRTH	Thörl at Arnoldstein
DATE OF DEATH	between 1523 and 1529
Place of death	Villach

[1] Helmut Hundsbichler: Paolo Santonino's “Travel Diaries” in a new perspective. In: Volker Schimpff , Wieland Führ (ed.): Historia in museo. Festschrift for Frank-Dietrich Jacob on his sixtieth birthday. Beier & Beran, Langenweißbach 2004, ISBN 3-930036-94-0 , pp. 215-223, here pp. 218f .; Helmut Hundsbichler: The “beautiful” city of Villach in the “Itinerarium” by Paolo Santonino (1486). In: Helmut Bräuer, Gerhard Jaritz, Käthe Sonnleitner (eds.): Viatori per urbes castraque. Festschrift for Herwig Ebner on his 75th birthday (= series of publications by the Institute for History. Vol. 14). Institute for History, Graz 2003, ISBN 3-901921-19-2 , pp. 293-299.