Czech 19th Century oil painting of a mermaid on some rock by Knupfer

View Similar Items

Jose Puyet - Goyesque man oil on canvas painting portrait

Basile de Loose - Portrait of a young Girl with a Doll, Basile de Loose, Belgium, 19th, Romantic

Jacob Eduard Van Heemskerck Van Beest - Evening prayers by fishermen under the high coast of Celebes

Continental School - Early 20th Century Landscape with Figures

Unknown - Small Neapolitan fishermen. XIX century. With Gulf of Naples and Vesuvius

Louis Leopold Robert - ATELIER OF LOUIS LEOPOLD ROBERT, Le retour de la fête de la Madone de l'Arc

Katarzyna Szydlowska - Nostalgy. Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting, Subtle Female, Polish artist

Katarzyna Szydlowska - Melancholy... Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting, Subtle Female, Polish artist

Joaquín Domínguez Bécquer - "Outside The Tavern", 19th Century Oil on Canvas by Joaquín Domínguez Bécquer

Joaquín Domínguez Bécquer - "Dancers in a Courtyard", 19th Century Oil on Canvas by Joaq. Domínguez Bécquer

Joaquín Domínguez Bécquer - "Riders Passing by a Tavern", 19th Century Oil on Canvas by Joaq. D. Bécquer

Mariano Alonso Pérez - "Courtship", Late 19th Century Oil on Canvas by Sapnish Artist M. Alonso Pérez

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 11

Benes Benedikt Knupfer
Czech 19th Century oil painting of a mermaid on some rock by Knupfer

About the Item

Benes Benedikt Knupfer (Czech, 1848 – 1910) Mermaid on the rocks Oil on canvas Signed with initials ‘B.K.’ (lower left) 18.1/2 x 33 in. (47 x 83.5 cm.) Knüpfer was originally a history painter and portraitist but then he shifted his interest to marine art and Neo-Romanticism, a movement which combined poetical visions with erotic fantasy. In his youth Knüpfer painted shop signs for shops in the Lesser Town in Prague. When he was 21 years old, he became a student of Antonín Lhota at the Prague Academy (1865–1868) and later a regular student of the Academy under Josef Maryáš Trenkwald (1868–1870). He also studied at the Academy in Munich (1870–1878) under prof. A. Raab, Alexander Warner, and Karl von Piloty. Piloty liked Knüpfer and asked him to help him with the decoration of the Munich town hall. Piloty also inspired Knüpfer to create the painting Götz von Berlinchen at the Council in Heilbronn (1877), for which he received a scholarship to study in Rome. He stayed in Italy for the rest of his life. He also visited France, England and Crimea (1898, 1903). He spent some time in Sicily and Tunisia (1909). In 1909 and 1910, he had his works in exhibitions in the Topičův Salon in Prague and was badly hurt by the harsh criticism from both exhibitions. He was also criticized for his cosmopolitanism which was unpopular at that time and seen as a hindrance to the creation of national culture. Similar to Otakar Lebeda and Antonín Slavíček, Knüpfer committed suicide. He jumped into the Adriatic Sea between the Austrian town Rijeka and Italian port Ancona during a cruise on the ocean liner William. This typical poetic painting by Knüpfer depicts the sea with mythical sea creatures, realistic rocky cliffs and convincing waves. Knüpfer moved his attention to sea painting after 1879 when he moved to Porto d’Anzion by the Tyrrhenian Sea. Knüpfer combined his paintings with Roman mythology. Apart from contemplative monks indifferently strolling through blooming landscapes with cupids, he also started to depict fishermen and tanned sailors. Knüpfer was more and more interested in the sea. In his fantasy the cliffs were full of naiads, tritons and sirens. The same goes for the Olomouc painting with the overcast sky. A beautiful naiad with long hair and feminine curves jumped up on a rock emerging from heavy seas. This enigmatic creature, turned away from the viewer, is disturbed by Triton who surfaced near a long reef and is now plunging back into the foamy water after his rival. The scene depicts a duel for the naiad; Knüpfer created several versions of this popular painting. The painting was inspired by another painting by Knüpfer The Duel of Tritons which was awarded the golden medal by the Archduke Karl Ludwig at the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1892. It was later bought by the archduke’s brother, Emperor Franz Joseph I, and displayed in the Picture Gallery of the Viennese Court Museums. This fact is well known, but people usually do not know that Archduke Karl Ludwig visited Princes de Rohan in Sychrov and Prague where Knüpfer’s family lived. Knüpfer’s poetic paintings can be placed among other Neo-Romantic works. He can be associated with 'German Romans', artists using mythological subjects and combining nudes with landscape (Feuerbach, Marées), and other sea painters such as Swiss artist Böcklin. Unlike Böcklin, who was obsessed with mystique and death, Knüpfer did not venture on this dangerous path. He rather focused on erotic and, at the same time, poetic paintings which were popular among viewers. From the 1890s he created paintings with traces of symbolism and neo-Romanticism and exhibited them mainly in Paris, Munich, Berlin and Vienna. In 1898 he was a founding member of the Union of Creative Artists and he was also a member of the Vienna Secession till 1902.

Creator:
Benes Benedikt Knupfer (1848 - 1910)
Dimensions:
Height: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)Width: 33 in (83.82 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
Medium:
Canvas,Oil
Movement & Style:
Romantic
Period:
19th Century
Condition:
Oil on canvas, relined. Thick impasto in places. Recently restored. A few retouches. Paint surface stable and in good order. In a gilded composite frame with surface dirt.
Gallery Location:
Petworth, GB
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU54037116522

More Ways To Browse

Shop Antique Picture Frames

Antique Shops Chicago

Antique Siren

Antique Shops Vienna Austria

Ben Rock

Nude Sailor

Antique Cupid Picture

19th Oil Painting Monks

19th Century Oil Painting Monks

Sicis Wave

Antique Mermaid Painting

Cliff Joseph

Tunisian Water

Tunisia Water

Czech 19th Century oil painting of a mermaid on some rock by Knupfer

View Similar Items

Benes Benedikt Knupfer
Czech 19th Century oil painting of a mermaid on some rock by Knupfer

About the Item

20th Century Folk Art Figurative Paintings

Catriona Millar
Scottish 20th Century naive oil painting of figures, dogs and birds in interior

20th Century Folk Art Figurative Paintings

Catriona Millar
Scottish 20th Century naive oil painting of figures, dogs and birds in interior

20th Century Abstract Geometric Figurative Paintings

Ron Sims
British Abstract geometric figure in greys by Ron Sims

20th Century Modern Nude Paintings

Roy Spencer
Modern British oil painting, Reclining lady in lace nightgown by Roy Spencer

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Andrei Bludov
Contemporary Ukrainian oil painting 'Family' by Andrei Bludov, greens and pinks, 2019

20th Century Abstract Portrait Paintings

Ewart Johns
Striking abstract portrait by Modern British artist Ewart Johns of 'Athene' 1995, 1995

19th Century Romantic Figurative Paintings

Basile de Loose
Portrait of a young Girl with a Doll, Basile de Loose, Belgium, 19th, Romantic, 1861

19th Century Romantic Landscape Paintings

Jacob Eduard Van Heemskerck Van Beest
Evening prayers by fishermen under the high coast of Celebes, 1963

Early 20th Century Romantic Landscape Paintings

Early 20th Century Landscape with Figures, circa 1900

19th Century Romantic Figurative Paintings

Small Neapolitan fishermen. XIX century. With Gulf of Naples and Vesuvius

1820s Romantic Figurative Paintings

ATELIER OF LOUIS LEOPOLD ROBERT, Le retour de la fête de la Madone de l'Arc, 1825

21st Century and Contemporary Romantic Figurative Paintings

Katarzyna Szydlowska
Nostalgy. Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting, Subtle Female, Polish artist, 2002

Recently Viewed

More Ways To Browse

Czech 19th Century oil painting of a mermaid on some rock by Knupfer

View Similar Items

Benes Benedikt Knupfer Czech 19th Century oil painting of a mermaid on some rock by Knupfer

About the Item

20th Century Folk Art Figurative Paintings

Catriona MillarScottish 20th Century naive oil painting of figures, dogs and birds in interior

20th Century Folk Art Figurative Paintings

Catriona MillarScottish 20th Century naive oil painting of figures, dogs and birds in interior

20th Century Abstract Geometric Figurative Paintings

Ron SimsBritish Abstract geometric figure in greys by Ron Sims

20th Century Modern Nude Paintings

Roy SpencerModern British oil painting, Reclining lady in lace nightgown by Roy Spencer

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Andrei Bludov Contemporary Ukrainian oil painting 'Family' by Andrei Bludov, greens and pinks, 2019

20th Century Abstract Portrait Paintings

Ewart JohnsStriking abstract portrait by Modern British artist Ewart Johns of 'Athene' 1995, 1995

19th Century Romantic Figurative Paintings

Basile de LoosePortrait of a young Girl with a Doll, Basile de Loose, Belgium, 19th, Romantic, 1861

19th Century Romantic Landscape Paintings

Jacob Eduard Van Heemskerck Van Beest Evening prayers by fishermen under the high coast of Celebes, 1963

Early 20th Century Romantic Landscape Paintings

Early 20th Century Landscape with Figures, circa 1900

19th Century Romantic Figurative Paintings

Small Neapolitan fishermen. XIX century. With Gulf of Naples and Vesuvius

1820s Romantic Figurative Paintings

ATELIER OF LOUIS LEOPOLD ROBERT, Le retour de la fête de la Madone de l'Arc, 1825

21st Century and Contemporary Romantic Figurative Paintings

Katarzyna SzydlowskaNostalgy. Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting, Subtle Female, Polish artist, 2002

Recently Viewed

More Ways To Browse

Benes Benedikt Knupfer
Czech 19th Century oil painting of a mermaid on some rock by Knupfer

Catriona Millar
Scottish 20th Century naive oil painting of figures, dogs and birds in interior

Catriona Millar
Scottish 20th Century naive oil painting of figures, dogs and birds in interior

Ron Sims
British Abstract geometric figure in greys by Ron Sims

Roy Spencer
Modern British oil painting, Reclining lady in lace nightgown by Roy Spencer

Andrei Bludov
Contemporary Ukrainian oil painting 'Family' by Andrei Bludov, greens and pinks, 2019

Ewart Johns
Striking abstract portrait by Modern British artist Ewart Johns of 'Athene' 1995, 1995

Basile de Loose
Portrait of a young Girl with a Doll, Basile de Loose, Belgium, 19th, Romantic, 1861

Jacob Eduard Van Heemskerck Van Beest
Evening prayers by fishermen under the high coast of Celebes, 1963

Katarzyna Szydlowska
Nostalgy. Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting, Subtle Female, Polish artist, 2002