(Albano 1843–1931 Venice)
The curious, signed, dated Eugen von Blaas 1897, oil on canvas, 145 x 75 cm, framed

Provenance:
Galerie Heinemann, Munich, 1897–1898 (Heinemann no. 3937);
Acquired by Rosa von Klinger, née Riedel (1860–1932), Neustadt an der Tafelfichte / Nové Mesto pod Smrkem, Bohemia, Czech Republic, on 28 November 1898;
European Private Collection.

Italo-Austrian painter Eugen von Blaas (1843-1931) became a pioneer of 19th century Venetian genre painting, known for his depictions of women in colourful garments and informal settings or poses. His father, Carl von Blaas was also a painter and a teacher at both the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Vienna and at the Academy of Venice, which gave Eugen access to collections and contacts. Eugen lived and studied in Austria for a time but returned to Venice under the tutelage of professor Gigoletti where he first learnt to copy models and sculptures and later paint from life models. This allowed him to depict life-like figures with personalities and movement. Young seductive or melancholic women became one of von Blaas’ favoured subject matters and he also emphasized materials and texture when painting clothing and drapery. Later in his career, he began adding more complicated props and landscapes to his works, such as copper kettles, fruit or stone walls and pavements. In Eugen von Blaas’ works, no detail is unimportant- everything is placed with care, allowing him to bring life onto the canvas.

This painting makes no exception. The two women have sculptural weight and porcelain-like skin, while also conveying a narrative through their body language and facial expressions. In the playful arrangement, one of the women is peeping over the wall gesturing to the her smiling friend who is holding the ladder. These gestures also allow the viewer to imagine the dialogue between the women. The softness of their skin and the untamed curls of their hair emphasize their youth and create a juvenescent and fresh atmosphere, while the corsets and lifted skirts also give the painting a flirtatious tone.