The city of Vienna, Austria has many examples of Biedermeier architecture.
In the art world, the term "genre" refers to paintings that depict everyday life in a naturalistic manner. Genre paintings became popular in the 17th century and often included aspects of peasant life, domestic activities, and common scenes in taverns and markets. In Germany, genre works flourished between 1815 and 1840, the period in which the "Biedermeier" style developed. This style, like genre painting, was closely associated with the new middle-class bourgeois culture that developed in Germany as a result of the growing urbanization and industrialization, and it can be seen the works of German painters and architects of the era.
Instructions
1. Look for genre paintings of the early 19th century that exhibit a firm control of light, shadow, and detail, and portray small town activities. Biedermeier art reinforced themes of security and simplicity, and was exemplified in the paintings of Carl Spitzweg, as in his paintings "The Poor Poet" and "Landesvaterbesuch." He chose provincial subjects, depicting the "human comedy" in a frank, realistic manner. He painted ordinary people going about their daily lives and included even the most prosaic details.
2. Recognize the highly functional yet elegant style of Biedermeier architecture, exemplified by the Stadttempel in Vienna, Austria. This architectural style can also be seen in the Spittelberg quarter of Vienna, where the houses have flat facades and little ornamentation, but are quite picturesque nonetheless.
3. Research the furniture in the Biedermeier style, represented by the work of Josef Danhauser. This style of furniture was highly utilitarian and functional, made in the cheaper cherry, ash and oak woods rather than mahogany. Seen as a rebellion against the ornate furniture of the Romantic era, German furniture emphasized clean lines and a lack of decoration.
4. Study the paintings of Joseph Anton Koch, Franz von Lenbach, and Carl Spitzweg, and notice how they set the stage for the Expressionists of the 20th century by dealing with issues of identity, tradition, and rebellion. Examine Spitzweg's painting "Scholar of Natural Sciences," Lenbach's "Bavarian Peasant Girl," and Koch's "Landscape with Ruth and Boaz." Notice how the scenes, whether depicting a chore or portrait, are unvarnished and free of ideals or heroisms. These works of art satisfied a political energy of the time across Europe.
