Hans Makart

Austrian artist, one of the most celebrated painters of the great bourgeois Viennese era. "Entry of Charles V into Antwerp," 1878, is an excellent example of Makart’s glittering creations. The son of a chamberlain at Mirabell castle, he first studied at the Academy of Vienna before being educated by Karl Theodor von Piloty at the Academy of Munich from 1860-65. During his studies, he traveled to London, Paris and Rome, but after the prince Von Hohenlohe provided him with a studio, Makart returned to Vienna. He immediately began to enjoy phenomenal success, quickly becoming known for his lush history paintings and bold use of color. "Modern Cupids," 1868 and "The Plague in Florentine," 1868 increased his fame and brought disapproval, both primarily criticized for the lack of a literary original. Perhaps his finest work, however, was done in 1879 when he painted the procession in honor of the silver anniversary of emperor Francis Joseph and his wife Elisabeth. That same year Makart became a Professor at the Academy. In 1882, he designed a fascinating dream world, inspired by Shakespeare’s "Midsummernight’s Dream," that was to be used as a bedroom decoration at Villa Hermes. Due to his early death, the design was never executed but exists only as a large painting. Makart died on 3 October 1884 in Vienna. Link to Wikipedia biography