Summer in the Garden, Znojmo, c. 1893

The impact of Impressionism on Theodor von Hörmann’s (1840–1895) artistic development is evident especially in his late oeuvre. The painting Summer in the Garden, Znojmo shows a deserted garden idyll. The scattered chairs, the empty glasses and bottles and the parasol, which appears to have been placed temporarily against one of the chairs, merely intimate the scenes that must have played out a short time before. In this depiction, Hörmann focused on the visualization of the harmonious merging of light and color, composed using swiftly placed, thick brushstrokes. The strictly formal pictorial composition, which is a hallmark of the Tyrolean painter’s art, is highlighted by the extreme depth of the path and the verticals of the trees and fence.

AS, 2021