Still Life with Dead Hare, c. 1885

In the oil painting Still Life with Dead Hare, Olga Wisinger-Florian (1844–1926) draws on a picture type of 17th century Dutch painting, which is often viewed as an allegory of becoming and passing away. On a white tablecloth against a dark background, the artist presents a hunting still life with animals, jug, knife, grapes and lemons. Incoming light brightens up the center of the picture, while the upper part with the dead game merges into the darkness of the background. Unlike the old masters, Wisinger-Florian is not much concerned with the symbolic content of the objects depicted. Rather, in the 1880s, influenced by her teacher, atmospheric impressionist Emil Jakob Schindler (1842–1892), she sought new means of painterly expression to capture what she saw. Using short, vigorous color strokes, she creates an atmospheric and lively snapshot that anticipates her later work.

AGW, 2021