Josef Kriehuber stands as one of the most significant figures in 19th-century Austrian art, particularly renowned for his mastery of portraiture through the medium of lithography. Active during the vibrant Biedermeier period, Kriehuber captured the likenesses of Vienna's elite, its burgeoning middle class, and its celebrated cultural figures with remarkable skill and sensitivity. His prolific output serves not only as an artistic achievement but also as an invaluable historical record of Viennese society during a transformative era.
Early Life and Artistic Formation
Josef Kriehuber was born in Vienna on December 14, 1800. His artistic inclinations emerged early; records indicate he began receiving drawing lessons around the age of seven. This early start laid the foundation for a lifelong dedication to the visual arts. Recognizing his potential, he was enrolled in the prestigious Vienna Academy of Fine Arts by the age of thirteen, around 1813. There, he would have been exposed to the academic traditions and rigorous training methods prevalent at the time.
His formal studies at the Academy continued until around 1818. Seeking broader experience, Kriehuber then accepted a position that took him away from the imperial capital. He moved to Poland, where he spent approximately four years (from 1818 to 1822) serving as an art teacher for the noble Sanguszko family. This period likely provided him with practical teaching experience and exposure to a different cultural milieu, potentially influencing his understanding of patronage and portraiture within aristocratic circles.
Return to Vienna and the Embrace of Lithography
In 1822, Kriehuber returned to Vienna, eager to resume his artistic development. He re-enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts to further hone his skills. This period marked a crucial turning point in his career, as he began to explore the relatively new technique of lithography. Invented in the late 18th century by Alois Senefelder, lithography offered artists a new way to create and distribute multiple copies of their work, proving particularly suited for portraiture and illustration.
Initially, Kriehuber applied his lithographic skills to depicting horses, a popular subject. However, he soon recognized the immense potential of the medium for capturing human likenesses. Around 1825, he decisively shifted his focus towards portrait lithography. This decision aligned perfectly with the cultural climate of Biedermeier Vienna, where there was a growing demand among the aristocracy and the increasingly affluent middle class for personal portraits.
The Foremost Portrait Lithographer of Vienna
Kriehuber quickly established himself as the preeminent portrait lithographer in Vienna. His technical proficiency, combined with an innate ability to capture not just a physical likeness but also the personality and social standing of his sitters, made his work highly sought after. He became the go-to artist for anyone of note in the city, effectively creating a visual "who's who" of the era.
His studio became a hub where the prominent figures of Viennese society converged. He portrayed members of the Imperial family, high-ranking aristocrats, influential politicians, esteemed academics, celebrated writers, renowned actors, fellow artists, and, perhaps most famously, the leading musicians of the day. His ability to render faces with sensitivity and detail, often set against simple backgrounds or subtly suggested environments, defined the Biedermeier portrait style.
The sheer volume of his work is staggering. Over his career, Kriehuber produced an estimated 3,000 lithographic portraits. This prolific output was facilitated by the nature of lithography, which allowed for faster production and multiple prints compared to traditional oil painting. His prints circulated widely, making the faces of Vienna's famous inhabitants familiar to a broader public.
Artistic Style: Elegance and Realism
Kriehuber's style is characteristic of the Biedermeier period, blending Neoclassical clarity with emerging Romantic sensibilities. His portraits emphasize realism and accuracy in depicting facial features and attire, reflecting the era's value for verisimilitude. However, this realism is often tempered with a degree of idealization, presenting his subjects with an air of elegance, composure, and quiet dignity.
He possessed a remarkable talent for capturing the textures of fabrics – the sheen of silk, the richness of velvet, the crispness of linen – which added to the sense of realism and conveyed the social status of his sitters. His compositions are typically straightforward, focusing attention squarely on the individual. While primarily known for lithography, Kriehuber also began working extensively in watercolor portraiture from the early 1830s onwards. These works often display a greater softness and intimacy compared to his prints.
His approach differed from some contemporaries. While artists like Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller pursued a more uncompromising, sometimes stark realism, and Peter Fendi excelled in intimate genre scenes and sensitive portraits often depicting simpler life, Kriehuber specialized in capturing the refined grace of Vienna's upper echelons. His work shares an elegance with portraitists like Friedrich von Amerling, another leading figure of the era, but Kriehuber's primary medium of lithography gave his work a distinct character and wider reach.
A Gallery of Viennese Society
Kriehuber's oeuvre reads like a chronicle of his time. He captured the likenesses of emperors and archdukes, documenting the Habsburg court. His portrait of Empress Maria Anna (consort of Emperor Ferdinand I), created around 1844, is considered one of his masterpieces, showcasing his skill in watercolor and his ability to convey regal poise. He also famously depicted the young Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria, later Empress Elisabeth ("Sisi"), capturing her youthful beauty.
The musical world of Vienna, arguably at its zenith during this period, features prominently in his work. He created iconic portraits of composers and performers whose names resonate through history. Among his subjects were Franz Schubert, Franz Liszt, Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, Niccolò Paganini, Gioachino Rossini, Carl Czerny, Anton Diabelli, Tobias Haslinger, Joseph Lanner, and later, Johannes Brahms. These portraits are invaluable not only as artistic representations but also as historical documents of musical giants.
Beyond royalty and musicians, his subjects included writers like Franz Grillparzer, military figures such as Count Baillet von Latour, fellow artists, scholars, and prominent members of the aristocracy and bourgeoisie, like members of the Széchényi family. His ability to adapt his style subtly to suit the personality and profession of each sitter contributed to his widespread appeal.
Notable Works and Collaborations
Several specific works stand out in Kriehuber's vast output:
_Portrait of Empress Maria Anna_ (c. 1844): A highly refined watercolor showcasing the Empress's dignity and Kriehuber's delicate touch. It remains a key work held in Austrian national collections.
_Franz Liszt at the Piano_: While often associated primarily with Kriehuber, this famous image is sometimes noted as a collaboration or based on a composition involving fellow artist Josef Danhauser. It captures the romantic image of the virtuoso performer.
_Portrait of Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria_: One of several portraits he made of the future Empress Sisi, capturing her celebrated beauty and contributing to her iconic image.
_Portrait of Robert Schumann_ (Lithograph): A significant contemporary depiction of the composer, valued by music historians.
_Portrait of Carl Czerny_: A representative example of his portraits of influential musicians, depicting the renowned pianist and teacher.
_Portrait of the Young Emperor Hunting_ (Color Lithograph): Demonstrating his skill in color lithography and depicting the young Emperor Franz Joseph I in a less formal setting.
Kriehuber also engaged in collaborations and adaptations. He is known to have created lithographic versions of paintings by other artists, such as the popular portraitist Franz Schrotzberg. This practice was common at the time, helping to disseminate painted images to a wider audience. He also collaborated with the painter Moritz von Schwind on a lithograph depicting the Siege of Szigetvár, showing his versatility beyond single portraits. His network included many artists active in Vienna, such as the historical painter Peter Krafft, the portrait and landscape artists Johann Nepomuk Ender and Thomas Ender, and the religious and portrait painter Leopold Kupelwieser.
Recognition and the Challenge of Photography
Kriehuber's success and contribution to Austrian art were formally recognized during his lifetime. In 1860, he achieved a significant honor: he became the first artist ever to be awarded the prestigious Order of Franz Joseph by Emperor Franz Joseph I. This accolade underscored his status as the leading portraitist of the era and his importance to the cultural life of the Empire.
However, the latter part of Kriehuber's career coincided with the rise of a new technology that would profoundly impact portraiture: photography. From the 1840s onwards, photographic studios began to proliferate, offering portraits that were quicker, often cheaper, and perceived by many as more objectively accurate than handmade likenesses.
The growing popularity of photographic portraits led to a gradual decline in the demand for portrait lithographs. Kriehuber, whose livelihood depended on commissions for his prints and watercolors, found his orders dwindling. Despite his earlier fame and the Imperial honor bestowed upon him, he struggled financially in his later years. This poignant downturn reflects the disruptive impact technological change can have on established artistic practices.
Josef Kriehuber died in Vienna on May 30, 1876. His passing occurred in relative poverty, a stark contrast to the prominence he had enjoyed for decades. The changing tastes and technologies had eclipsed the medium he had mastered so brilliantly.
Legacy and Collections
Despite the challenges of his later years, Josef Kriehuber's legacy remains secure. He is remembered as the most important portrait lithographer of the Austrian Biedermeier period and one of the key figures in 19th-century Viennese art. His work provides an unparalleled visual record of the personalities who shaped the cultural, social, and political landscape of his time.
His portraits are valued not only for their artistic merit – their technical skill, elegance, and psychological insight – but also for their immense historical importance. They offer intimate glimpses into the lives of emperors, artists, musicians, and citizens, preserving their appearances for posterity. He captured the spirit of an age – an era of domesticity, artistic flourishing, and social change in Vienna.
Today, Kriehuber's works are held in major collections, ensuring their preservation and accessibility. The Albertina museum in Vienna houses a vast collection of his lithographs and drawings, representing the most significant repository of his work. The Portrait Collection of the Austrian National Library also holds numerous examples. His portraits continue to be studied by art historians, musicologists, and social historians, offering rich insights into 19th-century Austrian culture.
Conclusion
Josef Kriehuber was more than just a skilled artist; he was a visual historian of his time. Through thousands of lithographs and watercolors, he meticulously documented the faces of Biedermeier Vienna, capturing the essence of its leading figures with elegance and precision. While the rise of photography overshadowed his later career, his artistic achievements, particularly his mastery of portrait lithography, and the invaluable historical record embedded in his work, secure his place as a central figure in Austrian art history. His portraits remain compelling windows into a bygone era, preserving the likenesses and spirit of the people who defined 19th-century Vienna.
