MARTIN VAN MEYTENS THE YOUNGER Winter Palace 18 October to 15 February 2015 Martin van Meytens Yr. The Family of Count Nikolaus Pálffy of Erdöd, around 1760 Oil on canvas 333 x 283 cm Belvedere, Vienna
MARTIN VAN MEYTENS THE YOUNGER In Martin van Meytens the Younger (1695 1770) the Belvedere is presenting a preeminent European master of the Baroque age. As the preferred portraitist at Maria impressively captured influential personalities of his highlight this important figure of the Austrian art scene in a monographic exhibition, which is on view from 18 October 2014 to 15 February 2015 in the Baroque ambience of the Winter Palace. Of Dutch origins and born in Sweden, Martin van Meytens the Younger developed his specific style, for which he borrowed from diverse European models and which he later successfully passed on to numerous students, during several lengthy sojourns in France, England, and Italy. Originally trained as a painter of miniatures, Meytens perfected monumental painting over the years while always remaining true to portraiture, apart from a few forays into other figural genres. The focus of this exhibition is on his fascinating portraits and the art of his most important pupils, including that of Joseph Hickel. Martin van Meytens is taking place in Vienna the city where the artist, following extensive stays in a number of other countries, spent more than half of his life and where he left behind impressive traces -Arco. Like no other artist, Martin van Meytens the Younger succeeded in documenting the protagonists of the legendary age of Maria Theresa in his portraits. garments, and the unmistakabl lively impression of this period, which was probably not as glamorous as it appears in the Agnes Husslein-Arco adds. Unlike the other genres, portraiture necessitated the a curator Georg Lechner explains. Martin van Meytens the Younger was born in Stockholm in 1695 the son of Martin Mijtens the Elder (1648 1736), who was also active as a portraitist. His parents, who originally came from Southern Holland, had emigrated to Sweden. Having first been trained by his father, the younger Meytens embarked on a study tour of several years as early as 1714, which led him to in Italy for an extensive period of time when he was still very young, so that from 1731 on the Habsburg Georg Lechner points out. Martin van Meytens cannot be assigned to any particular painting tradition, such as the Swedish, French, or Roman school. His personal style, which is characterised by precise
drawing and partly intense colours, is much too distinctive for categorisation. Having been highly interested in alchemy and physics, he immersed himself in the development of his own materials, namely paints, besides his activities as an artist, receiving a patent from the imperial government for the production of mineral paints in 1743. Moreover, Martin Meytens the Younger is said to have had a written and spoken command of several languages, so that he can probably be most fittingly described as a European citizen who was proud of his Swedish origins. From Miniature Painting to Portraiture The beginnings of Meytens, who today is known primarily for his life-sized portraits, lie in miniature painting, which was greatly appreciated at the time. Meytens, a student of his compatriot Charles Boit (1662 1727), soon acquired considerable fame in this genre and achieved a special brilliance in the enamel technique. Even the Russian tsar and the Swedish king tried to lure him to their courts, but Meytens decided for Vienna. He entered the service of the Habsburg family and became a successful portraitist of the court and the aristocracy. In likenesses, physiques, and social ranks he depicted in his paintings almost resemble a Who of the age of Maria Theresa. They include such statesmen as Johann Christoph von Bartenstein or Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz-Rietberg, as well as members of the Batthyány, Liechtenstein, Pálffy, and Schwarzenberg families. However, they only represent one aspect of his oeuvre. Besides more than a dozen of self-portraits, he also painted such artist colleagues Antonio Bertoli, and the librettist Pietro Metastasio. Held in high esteem particularly by Maria Theresa, Meytens was finally appointed director of the Vienna Academy and filled this position until his death in 1770. Characteristics of Style The precision in the rendering of laces, fabrics, and other details is characteristic of the works by Martin van Meytens the Younger and his collaborators. Such paintings as Maria Theresa in a pink lace dress have thereby even gained documentary importance. This special focus on textiles and accessories sometimes also stands out in portraits that were produced outside neglected element. The meticulous representation of motifs recalls Lucas Cranach the Elder, whose flourishing workshop was also known for its extraordinary precision and sharpness with regard to details, which occasionally even gives the impression of a certain degree of steeliness. Whereas Meytens was so successful during his lifetime just because of the great precision of his works, this very characteristic of his style would later meet with disapproval among critics.
A Flourishing Workshop case, the demand for his paintings was so high that the artist was soon no longer able to cope with the workload by himself and therefore employed numerous pupils and collaborators. Among the most talented of them were Sophonias de Derichs (1712 1773), who also came from Sweden, and Joseph Hickel (1736 1807). They worked so that their share in the individual works has remained hidden for both patrons and art lovers of the past and present. Moreover, Meytens hardly ever signed his works. Scholars therefore also depend on archival materials a their attributions, as these documents and reproductions usually mention the names of both painter and sitter. The following generation of artists represents the transition from the type of official Baroque portraiture they had been taught by Meytens to a distinctly drier style that was in keeping with the age of Josephinism and the Enlightenment. raisonné on Martin van Meytens the Younger, which will presumably appear in 2015 within the A PDF of the catalogue is available for download at: www.belvedere.at/press (login: pr2014)
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY Martin van Meytens the Younger 1695 Martin van Meytens is born in Stockholm as the son of Dutch immigrants. He receives his first artistic training from his father, the portraitist Martin Mijtens the Elder. 1712 Meytens travels to Holland, where he lives for two years with relatives. 1714 1721 Stays in England, Paris and Dresden. The young artist specializes in the painting of miniatures, perfecting his skills under the enamel painter Charles Boit. 1721 Meytens arrives in Vienna, where his artistic talent soon attracts the attention of the Imperial household and the high nobility. 1723 Emperor Charles VI enables the painter to make a protracted study trip to Italy, which takes him to Venice, Rome, Naples, Florence and Turin. 1731/31 Meytens returns for 16 months to his homeland, visiting his parents. The attempts of King Frederick I to keep the artist in Sweden are unsuccessful. 1731 Return to Vienna, where Meytens lives and works until his death (residence and studio in the 4th district at the current address Waaggasse 4; not preserved). His employment by the Hapsburgs and the high nobility expands rapidly. 1740 With the accession to power of Maria Theresa, a particularly productive phase in the oeuvre of Martin van Meytens begins. The large number of commissions he receives make it necessary to establish a larger studio with a number of assistants and specialists. 1759 Meytens is named rector of the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. 1770 Martin van Meytens dies on 23 March and is buried in the cemetery outside the city walls by Schottentor. Because he was unmarried and without children, he left his entire estate to his nephew Heinrich Wilhelm Peill.
GENERAL INFORMATION Exhibition Title Martin van Meytens the Younger Exhibition Duration 18 October 2014 to 15 February 2015 Venue Winter Palace Exhibits 60 Artist Curators Catalogue Contact Opening Hours Martin van Meytens the Younger Georg Lechner Rolf H. Johannsen Martin van Meytens der Jüngere (German edition) Editors: Agnes Husslein-Arco, Georg Lechner Belvedere, 160 pages, 20.5 x 24.5 cm, softcover, ISBN: 978-3-902805-54-6,- Belvedere, Prinz Eugen-Straße 27, 1030 Vienna T +43 (01) 795 57-0 www.belvedere.at Daily 10 am to 6 pm Regular Tickets - Guided Tours Public Relations T +43 (01) 795 57-134, M public@belvedere.at Belvedere & Winter Palace Public Relations Prinz Eugen-Straße 27, 1030 Vienna T +43 (01) 795 57-177 M press@belvedere.at Complimentary images can be downloaded for press purposes at www.belvedere.at/press (login: pr2014).