The Characteristics of Biedermeier Art - A Glimpse Behind the Scenes of the Bourgeoisie

The Biedermeier era was a period of significant upheaval - both in art and in society and politics overall. The epoch spanned from the end of the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to the beginning of the bourgeois revolution in 1848 in the countries of the German Confederation. During this time, a very specific style not only developed in the visual arts but also in literature, theatre, architecture, interior design, and fashion.

Painting brought forth various new genres or reinterpretations of familiar subjects, for example, "chamber paintings" or landscape and portrait painting. Typical Biedermeier art features were idyllic and harmonious scenes from people's private lives and a particularly realistic depiction of the subjects.

Social and Political Context of the Biedermeier Art Epoch

The artworks of an epoch often reflect its social and political conditions. Artists incorporate both their personal emotions and the mood within society into their works. This is particularly true for Biedermeier art.

To understand the Biedermeier art epoch, it is worth examining the conditions under which it was created. At the beginning of the 19th century, all of Europe was undergoing a major political upheaval. In 1813, Napoleon lost the decisive Battle of Leipzig against the alliance of Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Sweden. As an immediate consequence, he was forced out of office in 1814. Later that same year, the victorious powers established the post-war order and new national borders at the Congress of Vienna.

During this process, the monarchy became stronger and many progressive changes of the previous decades were reversed ("Restoration"). This was particularly evident in the "Carlsbad Decrees". To nip a potential revolution in the bud, the representatives of the German Confederation agreed on numerous restrictive measures. These included significant restrictions on freedom of speech, censorship of the press and control of the universities.

Faced with this political and social regression, many people resigned and turned their backs on the day-to-day politics. Also, out of fear of reprisals, they refrained from participating in political events and began to deny reality. They ignored both the restrictions on their freedom and the poverty in other sections of the population or the consequences of industrialisation. They completely withdrew into their private lives, focusing on their family and their immediate social environment. This change in the living conditions of many people also had an impact on Biedermeier art.

Characteristics of Biedermeier Art: Painting as a Mirror of Private Life

Given the political situation, many citizens retreated into the intimacy of their private lives. This also had consequences for the visual arts. Many people sought refuge in art and culture to distract themselves from everyday life. In turn, painters adjusted to the needs of the people - both in their selection of motifs and in the manner of composition. Biedermeier art primarily aimed to create an atmosphere of harmony.

Typical characteristics of Biedermeier paintings were, therefore, a very nostalgic perspective, an idyllic mood, and an embellished depiction of bourgeois life. Additionally, Biedermeier art was intended to convey virtue, morality, and a rather conservative worldview.

The motifs also changed during the Biedermeier art epoch. Historical, religious, or mythological scenes, which had been very widespread in many previous epochs, hardly played any role. Instead, genre painting, depicting motifs of private activities at home and during leisure time, enjoyed particular popularity. These included scenes of everyday activities such as handicrafts, communal music-making, or outings. But also, large, and cheerful parties and glimpses into parlours, restaurants or coffee houses were very popular.

A new genre even developed, in which the retreat into one's own four walls was formally celebrated. The so-called "chamber paintings" depicted living spaces completely devoid of people. Here, full attention was given to interior design and furnishings, depicted meticulously and in great detail.

Portrait painting was equally popular. They typically depicted spouses, children, or other family members as well as representatives of various professions. A special and typical feature of Biedermeier portraits was a very precise and naturalistic depiction of the subjects.

In addition to their personal surroundings and their own homes, nature became an important refuge for people. Consequently, landscape painting also experienced a great resurgence during the Biedermeier era. Classic motifs such as fields, forests and lakes were depicted, as well as architecture and urban scenes.

Carl Spitzweg - Most Famous Representative of Biedermeier Art

The Biedermeier art epoch is relatively brief in the history of art and produced comparatively few great artists. During this period, Ferdinand Hasenclever, Friedrich Gauermann, Peter Fendi, Georg Waldmüller, Josef Danhauser and Friedrich von Amerling, among others, made a name for themselves.

However, the most important and still very present representative of Biedermeier art today is undoubtedly Carl Spitzweg. He mastered the typical characteristics of Biedermeier painting - especially the very realistic painting style - to perfection. His works such as

• "The Poor Poet",
• "The Sunday Walk",
• "The Butterfly Catcher" or
• "The Bookworm"

have become synonymous with this artistic epoch and remain extremely popular to this day.

That he is one of the few names from the Biedermeier period to be recognised far beyond the art world is somewhat ironic. During his lifetime, he was not particularly popular among his contemporaries and did not achieve great success with his painting. Compared to many of his colleagues, he sold only a few pictures.

The lack of interest in his art was mainly because Spitzweg did not want to limit himself to painting idyllic, idealised, or romantic scenes. Instead, he commented on bourgeois life and political circumstances with subtle irony and humour in his works. To avoid getting into trouble, he worked with subtle symbols, double meanings, and allusions. However, this was already too critical and unacceptable for the majority of his contemporaries.

Today, however, it is probably because of this non-conformity that Carl Spitzweg is remembered by many people as the most important painter of the Biedermeier art epoch.