Joseph Haier, born in Vienna in 1816 and passing in 1891, was an Austrian artist whose life and work offer a fascinating, albeit complex, glimpse into the artistic currents of the nineteenth century. While his paintings have appeared at auctions, suggesting a recognized, if not widely celebrated, career during his lifetime, the information surrounding his artistic philosophy presents a unique and somewhat enigmatic profile. His primary medium was oil painting, and his activity firmly places him within a dynamic period of Viennese art, transitioning from Biedermeier sensibilities towards the grander statements of Historicism and the nascent stirrings of modernism.
Biographical Sketch and Known Oeuvre
Joseph Haier's Austrian nationality and Viennese origins are clearly documented. As an artist active throughout a significant portion of the nineteenth century, he would have witnessed substantial shifts in the cultural and artistic landscape of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His works, when they surface in the art market, provide tangible evidence of his practice. Among those recorded are "Mother with Her Child," a canvas measuring 43x35 cm, which suggests an inclination towards genre scenes or intimate portraiture, common themes in the Biedermeier period and beyond.
Other titles attributed to Haier, such as "Delighting in Summer" and "In Thought," evoke imagery of idyllic pastoral scenes or contemplative figural studies, respectively. These titles are suggestive of a painter engaged with capturing moments of everyday life, seasonal beauty, or human emotion. The sale of "The Unexpected Message" for 2,800 Euros at auction indicates a market value for his work and points to a narrative or anecdotal quality in some of his compositions, a popular characteristic in nineteenth-century painting where storytelling was often prized. These pieces collectively paint a picture of an artist working within established genres, likely with a competent hand and an eye for relatable subject matter.
An Unconventional Artistic Philosophy: The "Twelve-Tone Game" in Visual Art
Perhaps the most intriguing, and indeed perplexing, aspect of Joseph Haier's artistic profile, as it has been described, lies in his purported theoretical framework. He is associated with a concept termed the "twelve-tone game," a methodology that, as outlined, represented a complete rejection of what he considered "modern music ideas." This is a fascinating claim, especially for a visual artist, suggesting a synesthetic approach or a metaphorical application of musical principles to the art of painting. If Haier was indeed transposing musical theory into visual terms, he would have been an exceptionally innovative thinker for his time.
His philosophy purportedly championed "absolute, universal, and eternal" art as the ultimate form of expression. This aligns with certain academic and idealist traditions in art that sought timeless truths over transient trends. Furthermore, he is said to have criticized "atonal music" as a "purely negative principle." Translating this to visual art, one might infer a critique of formlessness, a rejection of purely abstract or non-representational art if such currents were emerging in his view, or perhaps a critique of art that lacked a clear structural or harmonic basis in its composition and color. This stance would position him as a traditionalist in some respects, yet the very idea of a "twelve-tone game" for painting hints at a systematic, almost avant-garde approach to composition.
Color, Music, and System: A Theoretical Framework
The notion of combining color with musical principles is further elaborated in the assertion that Haier advocated for the even use of all "semitones" within a musical (or, by extension, visual) composition. He is even credited with constructing a "color wheel" comprised of "twelve semitones." This suggests a highly structured and perhaps even scientific approach to color theory, where colors might be analogous to musical notes, and their arrangement could follow specific rules to achieve a desired "harmony" or "tonality" in a painting. Such a system would aim for a balanced and comprehensive use of the chromatic spectrum, potentially to create works of profound visual resonance and structural integrity.
If Haier truly developed such a system, he would have been a precursor to later artists and theorists who explored the relationships between color and music, such as Wassily Kandinsky or Paul Klee, though their explorations came later and within a more overtly modernist context. For a nineteenth-century painter, this would be a remarkably forward-thinking, if idiosyncratic, theoretical underpinning to his artistic practice. It implies a desire to imbue painting with a kind of objective, almost mathematical order, derived from the world of music.
Representative Works: A Broader Conceptual Output?
The list of representative works attributed to Joseph Haier extends beyond typical painterly titles, further complicating and enriching his artistic persona. Works cited include "Zwölftonspiel" (Twelve-Tone Game), which directly echoes his theoretical preoccupations. This could have been a specific painting, a series of works, or even a written treatise illustrating his ideas. Other significant titles mentioned are "Prometheus," a large-scale symphonic concept; "Hölderlin-Lieder," suggesting an engagement with poetry and its interpretation, perhaps through illustrative cycles or allegorical paintings; and "Apokalyptische Phantastie," indicative of a dramatic, visionary, and possibly symbolic or religious subject matter.
Furthermore, a theoretical work, "Vom Wesen des Musikalischen" (On the Essence of the Musical/Musicality), is also listed among his representative achievements. If Haier, the painter, authored such a text, it would solidify his image as an artist deeply invested in the theoretical and philosophical dimensions of art, seeking to articulate the underlying principles that governed his creative process, possibly drawing explicit parallels between the structures of music and the composition of visual art. These works, spanning various conceptual domains, suggest an artist of broad intellectual interests, whose creative output may have included not only canvases but also extensive theoretical explorations.
The Viennese Context: Contemporaries and Artistic Milieu
To understand Joseph Haier, one must consider the vibrant artistic environment of nineteenth-century Vienna. His career (1816-1891) spanned the Biedermeier period, the rise of Historicism, and the early rumblings that would lead to the Vienna Secession. He was a contemporary of Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller (1793-1865), a leading figure of Austrian Biedermeier painting, known for his realistic portraits, genre scenes, and landscapes. Waldmüller’s meticulous attention to detail and natural light set a high standard for realism. Another prominent figure was Friedrich von Amerling (1803-1887), celebrated for his elegant portraits of Viennese aristocracy and bourgeoisie, embodying the refined aesthetics of the era.
The later part of Haier's life saw the dominance of Hans Makart (1840-1884), whose opulent and theatrical style, known as "Makartstil," defined the Ringstrasse era. Makart's historical and allegorical paintings were grand in scale and ambition, a stark contrast to the intimacy of earlier Biedermeier art. In landscape painting, artists like Emil Jakob Schindler (1842-1892), a proponent of Austrian "Stimmungsimpressionismus" (Atmospheric Impressionism), captured the poetic moods of nature. Schindler, along with artists like Tina Blau (1845-1916) and Olga Wisinger-Florian (1844-1926), pushed landscape painting in new directions, influenced by French Impressionism but retaining a distinct Austrian character.
Other notable painters of the period include Rudolf von Alt (1812-1905), a master of watercolor, renowned for his detailed cityscapes and architectural views of Vienna and beyond. Anton Romako (1832-1889) stands out for his unconventional and psychologically charged portraits and genre scenes, often considered a forerunner of Austrian Expressionism. Leopold Carl Müller (1834-1892), known as "Orient-Müller," gained fame for his vibrant depictions of life in Egypt. August von Pettenkofen (1822-1889) was esteemed for his genre scenes, often depicting rural life or military subjects with keen observation. The younger generation, who would form the Secession in 1897, such as Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), were just beginning their careers as Haier's was concluding. Haier’s work, with its apparent focus on genre and potentially systematic compositional theories, would have existed within this rich tapestry of evolving styles and artistic personalities.
Artistic Style Revisited: Structure, Harmony, and Dissonance
The description of Haier's artistic style as potentially "complex and dissonant," if interpreted through the lens of his supposed musical theories, could mean that his paintings challenged conventional notions of harmony and balance in visual composition for his time. Perhaps his "twelve-tone game" led to unusual color combinations or structural arrangements that might have appeared jarring or overly intellectual to some contemporaries. The idea that his works might be seen as "theoretical elucidations rather than artistic masterpieces" suggests a practice where the conceptual framework was paramount, possibly at the expense of immediate aesthetic appeal or emotional accessibility for a broader public.
This characterization, however, must be carefully considered. If his known paintings like "Mother with Her Child" are representative, they might point to a more conventional visual language. The "dissonance" could refer to a tension between a seemingly traditional subject matter and a highly unconventional, systematic method of construction known only to the artist or a small circle. Alternatively, the more "fantastical" titles like "Apokalyptische Phantastie" might indeed have allowed for more visually unconventional or "dissonant" expressions.
Influence and Theoretical Legacy
The assertion that Haier's theories influenced later artists, specifically mentioning figures like Hermann Heiss and Roberto Gerhard (who were, in reality, composers influenced by the composer Josef Matthias Hauer), raises questions if applied to Haier the painter. If Haier the painter did indeed develop such a rigorous system analogous to twelve-tone music, and if he documented it in writings like "Vom Wesen des Musikalischen," "Vom Melos zur Pauke" (From Melody to the Kettledrum), and "Zwölftontechnik: Die Lehre von den Tropen" (Twelve-Tone Technique: The Theory of Tropes), then his impact would lie in this theoretical domain. These texts would be invaluable for understanding his systematic approach to art, detailing his "twelve-tone law" for visual composition and his concept of "tropes" or modes of visual organization.
His purported inspiration from Eastern philosophy, particularly the "I Ching," and the idea of his art as a "cosmic game" would add another layer of depth to his intellectual pursuits. This suggests an artist seeking universal principles, looking beyond Western traditions to inform a comprehensive worldview that manifested in his art. Such an artist would be a truly unique figure in nineteenth-century Vienna, bridging empirical observation with abstract, philosophical, and even mystical systems.
Evaluation in Art History: A Singular Position
Evaluating Joseph Haier (1816-1891) within art history requires navigating the somewhat contradictory streams of information. On one hand, we have the evidence of his auctioned paintings, suggesting a competent nineteenth-century artist working within recognizable genres. On the other, there is this fascinating, detailed account of a complex theoretical system based on musical analogies, a "twelve-tone game" applied to visual art, and a body of conceptual and theoretical "works."
If the latter attributions are indeed connected to Joseph Haier the painter, he stands as a remarkably prescient, if perhaps isolated, figure. His exploration of systematic composition and the relationship between color and abstract structures would prefigure many twentieth-century concerns. The reasons for a potential lack of widespread recognition during his time, or a subsequent period of obscurity, could be manifold: perhaps his theories were too esoteric, his visual output not aligned with prevailing tastes, or historical circumstances, including potential "conflict" or "suppression" of unconventional ideas, may have played a role. A "rediscovery" or re-evaluation of his work and theories would indeed be warranted if such a unique system was developed by this Viennese painter.
Conclusion: An Artist of Contrasts
Joseph Haier emerges from these accounts as an artist of intriguing contrasts. He was a Viennese painter of the nineteenth century, producing works like "Mother with Her Child" that fit within the era's artistic conventions. Yet, he is also portrayed as a profound theorist, a pioneer of a "twelve-tone" system for visual art, a thinker who delved into the essence of musicality and its application to painting, and an intellectual drawing from diverse sources including poetry and Eastern philosophy.
His legacy, therefore, might be twofold: that of a practicing artist contributing to the Viennese art scene of his time, and that of a conceptual innovator whose ideas on the structure and philosophy of art were exceptionally advanced. If the painter Joseph Haier (1816-1891) is indeed the originator of the complex theoretical framework described, then his contribution to art history is one that invites deeper investigation and a potential re-evaluation of the intellectual currents flowing beneath the surface of nineteenth-century art. His work, both on canvas and in theory, would offer a unique bridge between the traditional and the radically systematic, marking him as a singular figure in the annals of art.
