BIEDERMEIER
THE RISE OF AN ERA

The fascinating era of the Biedermeier, which lasted from around the time of the Congress of Vienna in 1814/15 to the revolutions of 1848, delineates a period in Europe that was shaped by political upheaval and social revolts, which profoundly changed society. The congress resulted in the restitution of absolutism and princely rule, heralding a long phase of political restoration founded on a suppression of democratic aspirations. The resigned population turned away from politics and revolutionary ideals for fear of reprisals, seeking refuge in the private sphere. Themes of longing for security and harmony in everyday life entered the pictorial worlds of the Biedermeier.

Aside from all the political friction, the Biedermeier was also an era of great innovation and esthetical changes. The most important driving force was the industrial progress, which led to the construction of the first railway lines and spectacular suspension bridges, like the one connecting Buda and Pest. These technological revolutions resulted in decisive changes in the development of art. Many of these innovations did not emanate from Vienna as the center of the Habsburg Monarchy, but rather from the splendid cities of the crown lands, such as Budapest, Prague, Ljubljana, Trieste, Venice and Milan.

The art of the monarchy was shaped by international exchange. Thus, the exhibition showcases not only the Viennese masters, including Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller and Friedrich von Amerling, but also Miklós Barabás and József Borsos from Budapest, Antonín Machek and František Tkadlík from Prague, as well as the artists active in Lombardy-Venetia Francesco Hayez and Jožef Tominc (Giuseppe Tominz).

Despite the severe poverty of the time, which affected large segments of the population, the simultaneous economic upturn yielded a bourgeoisie whose members wanted to be depicted in confident portraits. Alongside portraits celebrating realistic likenesses of the depicted and the documentation of their social status, the pictorial worlds were dominated by themes from everyday life: family portraits, genre paintings and renderings of the artists’ own surroundings. Despite the Biedermeier’s typical restrictions to the microcosm of the everyday and one’s immediate surroundings, artists of the period also looked further afield to far-flung countries and cities in order to satisfy people’s curiosity and interest in foreign cultures.

Featuring around 190 works from Austrian and international collections, ranging from paintings and graphic works to furnishings, glassware and dresses, the exhibition presents a varied picture of this era.

Curator: Johann Kräftner
Curatorial Assistance and Project Coordination: Lili-Vienne Debus

Vienna and the Capitals of the Habsburg Empire

While the capital and residential city Vienna was the center of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, the capitals of the crown lands and the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia gained increasing importance during the Biedermeier era. Owing to the walls around its city center, Vienna was very limited in terms of expansion. This only changed with the decision to de-fortify the city in 1857. However, a movement of renewal had set in already in 1719 with the development of the Schottenfeld, continued with the extension of existing streets or the building of new ones, and reached a climax in the Biedermeier era with the erection of bourgeois tenement buildings and many manufactories.

Other capitals, like Budapest, were able to expand much more freely, with Buda and Pest growing together not least on account of the newly built chain bridge (1839–1849). Entire squares and streets along the Danube were newly aligned with tenement buildings and splendid palaces of the Hungarian nobility. The metropolises of Northern Italy, too, derived important impulses under the Austrian administration.

The renewal was not limited to private buildings, but applied also and especially to public construction. A plethora of new types of buildings emerged, while existing structures were adapted to accommodate the needs of the time. These included theaters, concert halls, museums, schools, factories and cemeteries.

Biedermeier Interiors and Fashion

A vivid impression of Biedermeier fashion is conveyed through both artistic representations and the rare surviving garments of the time. After 1820, Biedermeier women favored ruffles, taffeta, vibrant colors, corsets, and crinolines. With artificially cinched waists and voluminous skirts, women sometimes resembled living porcelain dolls.

Interior design and furniture evolved a new aesthetic of simplicity in the Biedermeier era, embraced by both the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy. This restrained style laid the foundation for a renewed appreciation of Biedermeier design in the early 20th century, championed by architects like Adolf Loos and Josef Hoffmann.

Women and Men, Young and Old

In portraiture, idealized depictions increasingly gave way to striking realism—at times bordering on caricature. Particularly noteworthy are the portraits of the Italian-Slovenian artist Jožef Tominc (Giuseppe Tominz), celebrated for his unflinching portrayal of his sitters.

The family became a crucial retreat from the encroachments of censorship and state surveillance. Capturing one’s own family in a portrait became fashionable, especially among the upper classes. Social standing and prosperity were often emphasized through sumptuous fabrics or opulent interiors. In genre painting, meanwhile, the family idyll was elevated to an idealized image of bourgeois domesticity.

Staged Scenes from Everyday Life

Scenes from everyday life – especially those of farmers, craftspeople, and rural communities – gained immense popularity. Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller was a master of staging such scenes, blending idealization and beautification of the ordinary with a strong naturalistic style. Viewers found in his works an optimistic vision of life. This was also a time of rapid – and sometimes fleeting – wealth for the urban upper middle class. At the same time, large segments of the population lived in dire poverty. Artists such as Josef Danhauser responded with socially critical works, often laced with bitter irony.

TICKETS

Project sponsor: