A sought-after portrait painter, Angelika Kauffmann (1741–1807) was admired not only for her ability to capture the personality of her sitters, but also for her keen sense of fashion. Her portraits of elegant women in classical or Oriental gowns and refined men in Van Dyck-style costumes perfectly reflected the tastes of the time and set new trends. Clothing also played a central role in her self-portraits – from the girl in a pastel-hued Rococo dress to the lady wearing a symbolic homage to her father’s homeland, depicted through the traditional costume of the Bregenz Forest. In Kauffman’s historical paintings, fabrics and garments frequently served both thematic and aesthetic functions. Artfully draped, they encircle figures and scenes, drawing attention to the artist’s technical ability. The challenge of depicting the fall of fabric – long regarded as one of the most difficult obstacles in painting – is demonstrated by the detailed garment studies she produced in preparation for her compositions.
A contemporary response by the painter Drago Persic (b. 1981), who grew up in Schwarzenberg, revisits this theme and establishes a link to the present. Featuring paintings, drawings, prints and textile works, the exhibition explores the close relationship between art and fashion in Angelika Kauffman’s oeuvre – a connection that, at the threshold between Rococo and Neoclassicism, helped make her a style icon in her own right.
curated by Thomas Hirtenfelder
taken from the homepage ‘Current exhibition | Angelika Kauffmann Museum Schwarzenberg’
