Petr Brandl
Encyclopedia
Petr Brandl (October 24, 1668 – September 24, 1735) was a painter
of the late Baroque
, famous in his time but - due to isolation behind the Iron Curtain
- rather forgotten until recently. He was of German
-speaking Austrian
descent in the bilingual kingdom of Bohemia
. His mother was from Czech peasant family, that lived in Přestanice (a village in Bohemia, now part of Hlavňovice
). According to the Grove Dictionary of Art and other sources, Brandl was born into a craftsman’s family (his father seems to have been a goldsmith) and apprenticed around 1683–1688 to Kristián Schröder (1655–1702).
Brandl employed strong chiaroscuro, areas of heavy impasto
and very plastic as well as dramatic figures. The major art museum in Prague, called the National Gallery, has an entire hall devoted to the artist's works, including the wonderful "Bust of an Apostle" from some time before 1725.
The artist is a distant ancestor of both contemporary Austrian painter Herbert Brandl and contemporary American and Swiss painter Mark Staff Brandl
.
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
of the late Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
, famous in his time but - due to isolation behind the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
- rather forgotten until recently. He was of German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
-speaking Austrian
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
descent in the bilingual kingdom of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
. His mother was from Czech peasant family, that lived in Přestanice (a village in Bohemia, now part of Hlavňovice
Hlavňovice
Hlavňovice is a village and municipality in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 504 ....
). According to the Grove Dictionary of Art and other sources, Brandl was born into a craftsman’s family (his father seems to have been a goldsmith) and apprenticed around 1683–1688 to Kristián Schröder (1655–1702).
Brandl employed strong chiaroscuro, areas of heavy impasto
Impasto
In English, the borrowed Italian word impasto most commonly refers to a technique used in painting, where paint is laid on an area of the surface very thickly, usually thickly enough that the brush or painting-knife strokes are visible. Paint can also be mixed right on the canvas...
and very plastic as well as dramatic figures. The major art museum in Prague, called the National Gallery, has an entire hall devoted to the artist's works, including the wonderful "Bust of an Apostle" from some time before 1725.
The artist is a distant ancestor of both contemporary Austrian painter Herbert Brandl and contemporary American and Swiss painter Mark Staff Brandl
Mark Staff Brandl
Mark Staff Brandl is an American-born artist, art historian and art critic now living primarily in Switzerland.-History:...
.