EUGEN VON BLAAS, 19th c.

As the son of Karl von Blaas, an Austrian painter and sculptor, it is not surprising that Eugen von Blaas developed an early interest in art. Born in 1843, he spent his childhood in Rome before the family moved to Venice, a place which captured his heart and mind so powerfully that it would continue to inspire him throughout the rest of his artistic career. He is best known for painting genre scenes of Venetian life, sharing his love for the city and its people.

Beautiful women appear often in the work of Eugen von Blaas, though his Portrait of a Venetian Lady depicts a far more introspective figure than the lively, engaging characters who usually feature in his compositions.

Shown in profile, looking away from the viewer with an inscrutable expression, the sitter appears lost in thought as she absent-mindedly fusses with her necklace. The palette is also much richer and darker than the bright colours typical of Eugen von Blaas, and Portrait of a Venetian Lady is testament to his range as a painter, as he manages to capture the contemplative mood of his sitter in this painting with as much skill as he does the vibrant beauty of Venice and its people in his genre scenes.