During the end of the 19th and early 20th century, Hans Zatzka was a popular artist in Austria. His work strongly appealed to the lower and middle class citizens. Zatzka was a very productive painter and his works sold for relatively affordable prices. As a consequence, his paintings ended up with private collectors and local galleries, and Zatzka’s works have not been on display in major museums over time. This has severely limited his exposure to a larger audience. Luckily, many of his works are now regularly sold in auctions, providing us with a glimpse into the mesmerizing world of Hans Zatzka.
Hans Zatzka was born on March 8, 1859 in Breitensee, just outside of Vienna, Austria, as the son of Bartholamaüs Zatzka and Marie Karpischek. Between 1877 and 1882, Hans Zatzka studied at the Akademie der Bildenden Kunst in Vienna. Hans Zatzka studied under professors Christian Griepenkerl, Carl Wurzinger, and Karl von Blaas, who provided him with a well-rounded education to become a professional painter. He learned there how to create variety of genres (including historical, mythological, portrait, religious, and still life themes), and techniques (including fresco and oil painting), which Zatzka would all become skilled at. He was a good student and two years into his study, in 1880, he received the Golden Füger Medal from the Akademie der Bildenden Kunst, which was an award for the best artwork by a student of the academy as judged by the academy’s professors.
After he completed his studies, he spent several years traveling through Europe. During his travels, he visited Italy where he got inspired by some of the classical and religious paintings. Back in Austria, he started to earn his money by painting religious frescos and church altarpieces, as well as the occasional portrait commission. Initially, he painted in the style of Hans Makart, one of the most important Austrian painters from his generation. A more extensive biography of Hans Zatzka can be found in our coffee table book, which also includes numerous high-quality illustrations of his work.
During his career, Hans Zatzka had gradually begun to develop his own unique style of creating fantasy paintings of sensual women in natural environments. This is the style, which is the style he is best known for today. But he also painted other genres, including mythologically-themed fantasy paintings, Orientally-themed works, keyhole painting, religious works, and still lifes. Our coffee table book Hans Zatzka - A Unique Fantasy World discusses the life and art of Zatzka in some detail, and it provides a wonderful overview of Zatzka's works in each of the above-mentioned categories.
Hans Zatzka was born on March 8, 1859 in Breitensee, just outside of Vienna, Austria, as the son of Bartholamaüs Zatzka and Marie Karpischek. Between 1877 and 1882, Hans Zatzka studied at the Akademie der Bildenden Kunst in Vienna. Hans Zatzka studied under professors Christian Griepenkerl, Carl Wurzinger, and Karl von Blaas, who provided him with a well-rounded education to become a professional painter. He learned there how to create variety of genres (including historical, mythological, portrait, religious, and still life themes), and techniques (including fresco and oil painting), which Zatzka would all become skilled at. He was a good student and two years into his study, in 1880, he received the Golden Füger Medal from the Akademie der Bildenden Kunst, which was an award for the best artwork by a student of the academy as judged by the academy’s professors.
After he completed his studies, he spent several years traveling through Europe. During his travels, he visited Italy where he got inspired by some of the classical and religious paintings. Back in Austria, he started to earn his money by painting religious frescos and church altarpieces, as well as the occasional portrait commission. Initially, he painted in the style of Hans Makart, one of the most important Austrian painters from his generation. A more extensive biography of Hans Zatzka can be found in our coffee table book, which also includes numerous high-quality illustrations of his work.
During his career, Hans Zatzka had gradually begun to develop his own unique style of creating fantasy paintings of sensual women in natural environments. This is the style, which is the style he is best known for today. But he also painted other genres, including mythologically-themed fantasy paintings, Orientally-themed works, keyhole painting, religious works, and still lifes. Our coffee table book Hans Zatzka - A Unique Fantasy World discusses the life and art of Zatzka in some detail, and it provides a wonderful overview of Zatzka's works in each of the above-mentioned categories.
Not to Step Inside
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An Amusing Ride
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Still Life with Flowers
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Cupid
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