(Salzburg 1840–1884 Vienna)
Study for a ceiling painting with motifs from the “Ring der Nibelungen”, oil on canvas, 45 x 45 cm, unframed, slightly damaged, (W)

Provenance:
Private Collection Germany.

Catalogued and illustrated in:
Gerbert Frodl, Hans Makart Monographie und Werkverzeichnis, Residenz Verlag, Salzburg 1974, CR 169

Compare:
Gerbert Frodl, Hans Makart, Werkverzeichnis der Gemälde, Verlag Bibliothek der Provinz, Vienna 2013, CR 125

The present work shows a preparatory sketch for a ceiling panel with figures from The Ring of the Nibelung. Makart, like the rest of Vienna, is unable to escape the fascination of the opera, which is nigh ubiquitous in the 19th century. His confrontation with it leads to a changing relationship between artist and opera. On the one hand, the material of operas influenced his artistic work; on the other, he designed curtains and decorations for both opera and theatre. Makart saw numerous performances of Wagner operas in Munich and later on met Richard Wager and his wife in Vienna.
As an admirer of Richard Wagner’s work, Makart engaged with the present theme on several occasions. One version can be found, for example, in the Belvedere, designed as a room decoration: in 1883, Makart created a cycle of eight images, depicting scenes from this German legend. In the same year, he presented this work in the Vienna Künstlerhaus. (see Hans Makart, Malerfürst 1840-1884, exhibition at the Museum der Stadt Wien, 14 October 2000 – 4 March 2001, p. 96). The present painting is divided by arches into four sections. We see here clearly a vivid colour scheme typical for Makart, in which brown and dark red tones dominate. Despite the work being a sketch, an impressive scene with figures and embellishments reveals itself to the viewer, forming a harmonic overall composition.