Karl Kaufmann

Large "View of Venice", 19th Century Oil on Canvas by Karl Kaufmann

1894

Karl Kaufmann (Neuplachowitz, Austrian Silesia, 1843 - Vienna, 27 April 1901) was an Austrian landscape and architectural painter. Austrian landscape and architectural painter Karl Kaufmann sought his artistic inspiration outside of his home country, drawing him to faraway places. Born in Neuplachowitz, Austrian Silesia, the artist found his motifs on trips that spanned the European continent. However, with his study trips to numerous countries, Kaufmann was not an isolated case - many of his contemporaries sought painting motifs outside their familiar surroundings and thus embarked on journeys of artistic discovery. Karl Kaufmann's preferred artistic medium was oil paint, with which he painted his impressive landscapes and architectural views on canvas or wood panels. Kaufmann's naturalistic paintings tell stories of excursions to sunny fjord landscapes, strolls along dreamy coastlines, tell of the summer freshness of frozen mountain lakes, and visits to the cultural and commercial metropolises of his time. They report on Kaufmann's sojourns in Italy, Germany, Holland, Norway, and the Ottoman Empire. Among the artist's favorite motifs, however, are probably the veduta of the city of Venice, which he often lets shine in the warm light of the afternoon sun and executed in innumerable versions. There are also some historical views of the city of Istanbul, made by Karl Kaufmann, showing the colorful hustle and bustle of the eastern trade center and are particularly popular with private collectors. After his creative period as a traveling artist, Karl Kaufmann returned permanently to his adopted city of Vienna in 1900, where he once studied at the world-renowned Academy of Fine Arts. He successfully graduated from this academy, which places him among a number of famous contemporary painters, such as the Viennese Rudolf von Alt. Aside from Karl Kaufmann's training and study trips, little is known about the Austrian landscape painter's life. Most of the works of the painter Karl Kaufmann are privately owned and are offered at auction by various renowned art dealers, such as Sotheby's or Christie's.