Franz Defregger (after 1883 Franz von Defregger) (30 April 1835 – 2 January 1921) was an

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

artist known for producing

genre art Genre art is the pictorial representation in any of various media of scenes or events from everyday life, such as markets, domestic settings, interiors, parties, inn scenes, work, and street scenes. Such representations (also called genre works, ...

and

history painting History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and Bible ...

s set in his native county of

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

Biography

Franz Defregger was born on 30 April 1835 at the Ederhof in Stronach,

in the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...

. He was the second son of Maria (née Fercher) and Michael Defregger, a farmer, who also had five daughters. His mother and two of his sisters died in 1841 during a typhoid epidemic. Franz himself nearly died from the fever. During his early years, Franz developed a strong love of music, and learned to play the

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B, though some ...

. He soon became a member of a local band in

Dölsach Dölsach is a municipality in the district of Lienz in the Austrian state of Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was hist ...

, playing at weddings, assemblies, and balls. Franz also displayed an early talent for drawing and woodcarving, which he developed autodidactically while working on his father's farm. After his father died in 1858, Franz took over the farm at the age of twenty-three. Within two years, however, he sold the farm and shared the money with his sisters who wanted to emigrate to America. Defregger moved to

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

and studied woodcarving with the sculptor Michael Stolz, a professor at the Innsbrucker Trade School. Stoltz soon recognized Defregger's greater talent as a painter, and in the autumn of 1860, he arranged a meeting with

Karl von Piloty Karl Theodor von Piloty (1 October 1826 – 21 July 1886) was a German painter, noted for his historical subjects, and recognised as the foremost representative of the realistic school in Germany. Life and work Piloty was born in Munich. His fat ...

at the

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute o ...

in Munich. At Piloty's suggestion, Defregger attended a preparatory class at the Academy with Hermann Dyck. On 19 July 1861, Defregger passed the entrance examination and was accepted into the Academy. In the autumn of that year, he enrolled in a painting class given by Hermann Anschutz. In the summer of 1863, with the encouragement of architect Dominik Stadler, Defregger travelled to Paris to enhance his studies at the academy. He enrolled at the École des beaux-arts on the recommendation of Alexander Laemlein. In 1864, he took part in the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

des Refusés; the Salon catalog from 1864 listed him as "élève de l'École des Beaux-Arts". During his time in Paris, Defregger's work was influenced by his experiences in the city and through autodidactic study at museums, art collections, and studios. After spending two years in Paris, Defregger returned to Munich in July 1865 and began studying under Piloty at the academy. During the next few years, Defregger also spent time in East Tyrol, painting portraits of his relatives and friends. Between 1867 and 1870, he worked with Hans Makart and Gabriel of Max in the studio of the Munich history painter Piloty. His paintings were popular, and he soon became successful as an artist. He was professor of history painting from 1878 to 1910 at the Munich Art Academy. He preferred portraits, rustic motifs from the everyday life, and dramatic scenes from the Tyrolean national uprising of 1809. In 1883, Defregger was given the Order of Merit of the Bavarian crown, and was made a Knight of the collected personal nobility. He received numerous prizes and awards, including the Prussian Order of Merit for Science and the Arts. In 1906, his work was displayed at the Century of German Art exhibition in Berlin. His students included the Gröden artists

Josef Moroder Lusenberg Josef Theodor Moroder, also known as the Lusenberger, (28 May 1846 in Urtijëi – 16 February 1939 in Urtijëi) was a painter and sculptor, the most prominent artist of the Moroder family from the Grödenthal in South Tyrol (now the Val Garde ...

and Hans Perathoner,

Lovis Corinth Lovis Corinth (21 July 1858 – 17 July 1925) was a German artist and writer whose mature work as a painter and printmaker realized a synthesis of impressionism and expressionism. Corinth studied in Paris and Munich, joined the Berlin Se ...

Walter Thor Walter Thor (1870 in Neusalz – 1929 in Munich) was a German painter and illustrator. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich and worked for some time in Paris. He mainly drew commercial posters in the Art nouveau style with a humorous ...

, Hugo Engl,

Emma von Müller Emma may refer to: * Emma (given name) Film * ''Emma'' (1932 film), a comedy-drama film by Clarence Brown * ''Emma'' (1996 theatrical film), a film starring Gwyneth Paltrow * ''Emma'' (1996 TV film), a British television film starring Kate Be ...

and many others. Defregger also worked alongside other artists in the studio, especially Rudolf Epp, developing a style consistent with the Munich school. Franz Defregger died in Munich in 1921 at the age of 85. He was buried at Nordfriedhof in Munich.

Legacy

Defregger's private home in Munich, called the Defregger House, was built by architect Georg von Hauberrisser. Defregger's residence in Bolzano, the Villa Defregger, was built in 1879 according to the plans of the Bolzano city architect Sebastian Altmann. In 1922 in Vienna, a street was named "Defreggerstraße" to honor the artist. Similar street dedications occurred in

Bolzano Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third la ...

and

Gries am Brenner Gries am Brenner, often referred to as simply Gries (), is a municipality in the Wipptal in the southern district of Innsbruck-Land. The village consists of several hamlets. Geography Gries am Brenner is located at the entrance of the Obernbergtal ...

—both have since been renamed. Built in 1887, the Defreggerhaus refuge at the foot of the

Großvenediger Großvenediger () is the main peak of the Venediger Group within the Hohe Tauern mountain range, on the border of the Austrian state of Tyrol (East Tyrol) with Salzburg. It is generally considered to be Austria's fourth highest mountain (although ...

mountain was also named in his honor.

Gallery

File:Defregger Das letzte Aufgebot.jpg, ''Das letzte Aufgebot'', 1872 File:Franz von Defregger - Grace Before Meal.JPG, ''Grace Before Meal'', 1875 File:Franz von Defregger Der Zitherspieler 20124.jpg, ''Der Zitherspieler'', 1876 File:Franz von Defregger Heimkehrender Tiroler Landsturm.jpg, ''Heimkehrender Tiroler Landsturm im Krieg von 1809'', 1876 File:Franz von Defregger 001.jpg, ''Andreas Hofer mit seinen Beratern in der Hofburg in Innsbruck'', 1879 File:Franz von Defregger Beauty of the Tyrol 1880.jpg, ''Beauty of the Tyrol'', 1880 File:Franz von Defregger Zilli.jpg, ''D'Zilli'', 1882 File:Defregger Bildnis eines jungen Bauernmädchens.jpg, ''Bildnis eines jungen Bauernmädchens'', 1885 File:Defregger Bauerndirndl.jpg, ''Bauerndirndl'', 1890 File:Franz von Defregger Alter Jäger mit Flinte.jpg, ''Alter Jäger mit Flinte im Hochgebirge'', 1892 File:Zitherspielendes Mädchen by Franz von Defregger.jpg, ''Zitherspielendes Mädchen'', 1894 File:Defregger Tiroler Dirndl.jpg, ''Tiroler Dirndl'', c. 1895 File:Defregger Bauerndirndl 1896.jpg, ''Bauerndirndl'', 1896 File:Franz von Defregger Portrait eines jungen Tirolers 1897.jpg, ''Portrait eines jungen Tirolers'', 1897 File:Combat du Bergisel.jpg, ''Victory of Andreas Hofer at Bergisel, 1809'', 1900 File:Franz Defregger Bauernportrait.jpg, ''Bauernporträt'', 1900 File:Defregger Der kranke Dackel.JPG, ''Der kranke Dackel'', 1903 File:Defregger Schwer erkrankt.JPG, ''Schwer erkrankt'', 1905 File:Franz von Defregger Porträt Franz von Lenbach 1907.jpg, ''Portrait of Franz von Lenbach'', 1907 File:Franz von Defregger Junger Bauer 1910.jpg, ''Junger Bauer'', 1910 File:Franz von Defregger Tiroler Bauer mit Pfeife.jpg, ''Tiroler Bauer mit Pfeife'' File:Franz von Defregger Bauernbursch mit Hut.jpg, ''Bauernbursch mit Hut'' File:Franz von Defregger Dirndl.jpg, ''Dirndl'' File:Franz von Defregger Abschied des Jägers.jpg, ''Farewell to the Hunters''

References

Citations

Bibliography

* *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Defregger, Franz 1835 births 1921 deaths People from Lienz District People from the County of Tyrol 19th-century Austrian painters 19th-century Austrian male artists Austrian male painters 20th-century Austrian painters Austrian genre painters 19th-century painters of historical subjects Burials at the Nordfriedhof (Munich) Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class) 20th-century Austrian male artists