MARTIN VAN MEYTENS
THE YOUNGER
Winter Palace
18 October to 15 February 2015
Martin van Meytens Yr.
The Family of Count Nikolaus Pálffy of Erdöd, around 1760
Oil on canvas
333 x 283 cm
© Belvedere, Vienna
MARTIN VAN MEYTENS
THE YOUNGER
In Martin van Meytens the Younger (1695 1770) the Belvedere is presenting a preeminent European master of the Baroque age. As the preferred portraitist at Maria
impressively captured influential personalities of his
highlight this important figure of the Austrian art scene in a monographic exhibition,
which is on view from 18 October 2014 to 15 February 2015 in the Baroque ambience of
the Winter Palace. Of Dutch origins and born in Sweden, Martin van Meytens the
Younger developed his specific style, for which he borrowed from diverse European
models and which he later successfully passed on to numerous students, during several
lengthy sojourns in France, England, and Italy. Originally trained as a painter of
miniatures, Meytens perfected monumental painting over the years while always
remaining true to portraiture, apart from a few forays into other figural genres. The focus
of this exhibition is on his fascinating portraits and the art of his most important pupils,
including that of Joseph Hickel.
Martin van Meytens is
taking place in Vienna the city where the artist, following extensive stays in a number of other
countries, spent more than half of his life and where he left behind impressive traces
-Arco. Like no other artist, Martin van Meytens the
Younger succeeded in documenting the protagonists of the legendary age of Maria Theresa in
his portraits.
garments, and the unmistakabl
lively impression of this period, which was probably not as glamorous as it appears in the
Agnes Husslein-Arco adds.
Unlike the other genres, portraiture necessitated the a
curator Georg Lechner explains.
Martin van Meytens the Younger was born in Stockholm in 1695 the son of Martin Mijtens the
Elder (1648 1736), who was also active as a portraitist. His parents, who originally came from
Southern Holland, had emigrated to Sweden. Having first been trained by his father, the
younger Meytens embarked on a study tour of several years as early as 1714, which led him to
in Italy for an
extensive period of time when he was still very young, so that from 1731 on the Habsburg
Georg Lechner points out.
Martin van Meytens cannot be assigned to any particular painting tradition, such as the
Swedish, French, or Roman school. His personal style, which is characterised by precise
drawing and partly intense colours, is much too distinctive for categorisation. Having been
highly interested in alchemy and physics, he immersed himself in the development of his own
materials, namely paints, besides his activities as an artist, receiving a patent from the imperial
government for the production of mineral paints in 1743. Moreover, Martin Meytens the
Younger is said to have had a written and spoken command of several languages, so that he
can probably be most fittingly described as a European citizen who was proud of his Swedish
origins.
From Miniature Painting to Portraiture
The beginnings of Meytens, who today is known primarily for his life-sized portraits, lie in
miniature painting, which was greatly appreciated at the time. Meytens, a student of his
compatriot Charles Boit (1662 1727), soon acquired considerable fame in this genre and
achieved a special brilliance in the enamel technique. Even the Russian tsar and the Swedish
king tried to lure him to their courts, but Meytens decided for Vienna. He entered the service
of the Habsburg family and became a successful portraitist of the court and the aristocracy. In
likenesses, physiques, and social ranks he depicted in his paintings almost resemble a
Who of the age of Maria Theresa. They include such statesmen as Johann Christoph von
Bartenstein or Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz-Rietberg, as well as members of the Batthyány,
Liechtenstein, Pálffy, and Schwarzenberg families. However, they only represent one aspect of
his oeuvre. Besides more than a dozen of self-portraits, he also painted such artist colleagues
Antonio Bertoli, and the librettist Pietro Metastasio. Held in high esteem particularly by Maria
Theresa, Meytens was finally appointed director of the Vienna Academy and filled this position
until his death in 1770.
Characteristics of Style
The precision in the rendering of laces, fabrics, and other details is characteristic of the works
by Martin van Meytens the Younger and his collaborators. Such paintings as Maria Theresa in
a pink lace dress have thereby even gained documentary importance. This special focus on
textiles and accessories sometimes also stands out in portraits that were produced outside
neglected element. The meticulous representation of motifs recalls Lucas Cranach the Elder,
whose flourishing workshop was also known for its extraordinary precision and sharpness with
regard to details, which occasionally even gives the impression of a certain degree of
steeliness. Whereas Meytens was so successful during his lifetime just because of the great
precision of his works, this very characteristic of his style would later meet with disapproval
among critics.
A Flourishing Workshop
case, the demand for his paintings was so high that the artist was soon no longer able to cope
with the workload by himself and therefore employed numerous pupils and collaborators.
Among the most talented of them were Sophonias de Derichs (1712 1773), who also came
from Sweden, and Joseph Hickel (1736 1807). They worked
so that their share in the individual works has remained hidden for both patrons and art lovers
of the past and present. Moreover, Meytens hardly ever signed his works. Scholars therefore
also depend on archival materials a
their attributions, as these documents and reproductions usually mention the names of both
painter and sitter. The following generation of artists represents the transition from the type of
official Baroque portraiture they had been taught by Meytens to a distinctly drier style that was
in keeping with the age of Josephinism and the Enlightenment.
raisonné on Martin van Meytens the Younger, which will presumably appear in 2015 within the
A PDF of the catalogue is available for download at:
www.belvedere.at/press (login: pr2014)
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Martin van Meytens the Younger
1695
Martin van Meytens is born in Stockholm as the son of Dutch immigrants. He
receives his first artistic training from his father, the portraitist Martin Mijtens
the Elder.
1712
Meytens travels to Holland, where he lives for two years with relatives.
1714
1721
Stays in England, Paris and Dresden. The young artist specializes in the
painting of miniatures, perfecting his skills under the enamel painter Charles
Boit.
1721
Meytens arrives in Vienna, where his artistic talent soon attracts the
attention of the Imperial household and the high nobility.
1723
Emperor Charles VI enables the painter to make a protracted study trip to
Italy, which takes him to Venice, Rome, Naples, Florence and Turin.
1731/31
Meytens returns for 16 months to his homeland, visiting his parents. The
attempts of King Frederick I to keep the artist in Sweden are unsuccessful.
1731
Return to Vienna, where Meytens lives and works until his death (residence
and studio in the 4th district at the current address Waaggasse 4; not
preserved). His employment by the Hapsburgs and the high nobility expands
rapidly.
1740
With the accession to power of Maria Theresa, a particularly productive
phase in the oeuvre of Martin van Meytens begins. The large number of
commissions he receives make it necessary to establish a larger studio with a
number of assistants and specialists.
1759
Meytens is named rector of the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts.
1770
Martin van Meytens dies on 23 March and is buried in the cemetery outside
the city walls by Schottentor. Because he was unmarried and without
children, he left his entire estate to his nephew Heinrich Wilhelm Peill.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Exhibition Title
Martin van Meytens the Younger
Exhibition Duration
18 October 2014 to 15 February 2015
Venue
Winter Palace
Exhibits
60
Artist
Martin van Meytens the Younger
Curators
Georg Lechner
Rolf H. Johannsen
Catalogue
Martin van Meytens der Jüngere (German edition)
Editors: Agnes Husslein-Arco, Georg Lechner
Belvedere, 160 pages, 20.5 x 24.5 cm, softcover,
ISBN: 978-3-902805-54-6
,-
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at www.belvedere.at/press (login: pr2014).