Lilac, 1875

Franz Alt (1821–1914) places much emphasis in this watercolor on the detailed rendering of the bouquet of lilac twigs. He stands in the tradition of flower painting and botanical illustration, important genres in the Biedermeier period which also received support from the imperial family. In his depiction, however, Alt is not concerned with scientific documentation, but rather with an atmospheric and lovely rendering of a typically Viennese small bouquet of lilacs. He shows this greeting of spring in delicate colors, capturing the light effects in charming vividness. Alt, the brother of Rudolf von Alt (1812–1905), studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna under, among others, the Biedermeier painter Josef Danhauser (1805–1845). The artist later came to be known as a painter of vedutas.

AGW, 2021