Share to XToday’s featured artist is Olga Wisinger-Florian, an Austrian painter known for her rich landscapes and florals. She was a figurehead of the niche movement, Austrian Mood Impressionism. Below are some of my favorites.
The Pond Behind the House: A simple painting done well. I love the slightly zoomed-in composition, the rich greens, and the glassy reflections on the water.
Praterallee in Autumn: A classic autumn painting. Notice how consistent the sense of light and shadow is. The dappled light, the dark tree trunks and branches on the left side, and the highlights on the orange leaves tell a story about where the sun is in the sky (somewhere overhead to the left).
Tip: When landscape painting, always have the position of the sun (the main light source) in the back of your mind as you paint, even if it’s hidden from view. It will determine the major light and dark shapes of your painting. And nothing can ruin the sense of realism of your painting faster than inconsistant light and shadow.
October Snow, View From the Garden of Castle Hartenstein: A good demonstration of how to paint snow. It follows a theme of cool lights against warm shadows. There’s also an interesting play between splashes of saturated oranges in the foreground and saturated blues in the background.
In the Farm Garden: It seems she enjoyed painting tight landscape compositions like this, with a strong focus on the foreground. This one has a nice contrast between intricate details and simplified shapes. Greens dominate, but the strongest color is the pure cadmium red amongst the flowers. I also like the use of the light background to add depth and to pull our attention through the painting.
Cornfield: I feel like all of the Impressionists I write about have painted haystacks in some form. Almost like it’s a rite of passage. I can see why, as a haystack is a simple form that clearly showcases the effects of light, color, and atmosphere. In this painting, notice the use of texture and subtle color variance to add life to the ground. I find that students either do too much in “boring” areas like this, or not enough.
Blooming Poppy: Another popular subject among the Impressionists, poppies. Look at that dance of color in the foreground. Beautiful. The painting puts us right there amongst the poppies, as if we lay there on the field, with just a hint of sky and distant trees at the top to add depth and context.
A Gardenpath of the Riviera Palace Hotels Bei Monte Carlo: I love the way she painted the stairs on the left-hand side, with the bright, warm lights against the pale blue shadows. She was spot on with the use of value and temperature. And notice how she wasn’t too neat with the drawing. The stairs appear somewhat wonky and uneven, in line with the surroundings.
Study of a Stable Interior: This painting would be a good color exercise in the use of browns and grays. It also shows you can do a lot with only a few colors.
Kittens Playing in a Southern Landscape: What a great composition. It reminds me a bit of Joaquín Sorolla’s work in terms of the rich colors and effortless strokes.
Here are a few others:
If you enjoyed this, make sure to join my Exploring the Masters email series. Each week, I’ll share a new artist for you to explore.
Thanks for reading! Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Dan Scott
Draw Paint Academy
Lovely paintings, thank you for sharing!
Wow, I just love how she takes you through her paintings with her light or dark colors. This was very helpful to me, thank you.
Thank you Dan for sharing the work of this artist. Like mostly everyone here, I have never heard of her and that’s a shame. I’m so glad you rectified this for us! Will definitely research her to learn more. Thanks again!
Thank you for graciously sharing paintings of so many artists we may never be familiar with or get to enjoy if not for you. I love your emails and all the constructive information you share with all of us.
I never saw any of her works before. VERY INSPIRING!! Gorgeous paintings that will definitely be studied and referred to by myself in future works. Thank you very much Dan. You really know a ton about what constitutes ‘artistry’!!
This was a delight and feast for my eyes! I find autumn scenery often boring and over done, but she really makes it pop! I always want to thank you for sharing all that you do. I’ve never taken one of your classes, but do benefit from your postings.
Thanks for sharing Dan. She’s a very talented artist creating stunning masterpieces. A real joy to view her work. It definitely inspires me to paint !
Thank you Dan for sharing Olga’s work with us. I was totally unaware of her existence. Now she is one of my favorite posthumous artists. So nice to see an excellent woman artist from that time period too.
You inspire me with all that you show us every week. You are a gifted instructor. Thank you for providing this daily blog.
I am totally enamored with Olga’s paintings and how beautifully she used color and light to enhance her subjects. She must have constantly painted during her lifetime and I am the lucky recipient of your selections, Dan. Thank you so very much for sending Olga to me today. I will study her paintings for a long time seeking out details in her choice of paint colors, lighting, and paint application/strokes. A genius, in my book.
Thank you for introducing me to this artist. I love her work! Olga blessed us with a quiet calm feeling of serenity. What a gift.
Thank you Dan for the introduction to Olga’s paintings, she certainly was a master of her craft. I would love to know more about her artistic journey and intend to do research.
Beautiful work! Love the textures and details ..so rich!! Thanks for sharing!
Me encantaron las pinturas de Olga. No la conocía. Sentí que estaba dentro del paisaje mientras los disfrutaba con mis ojos. Muchas gracias Dan por compartirnos este arte.
What a lovely introduction to this artist you have given us! She has amazing ability to capture scenes from perhaps unusual but effective viewpoints. I love the one of the poppies in the field looking through the stems and blooms to the far distant horizon.. the gorgeous fall scenes with the true-to-life variations of golds and browns… the abundant lighter poppy blossoms in the Farm Garden that you could gather by armfuls.. and the uncanny beauty of the stable… and the surprise of how dark her studio was represented. Thanks for the eye-opening intro you have given us into Olga Wisinger-Florian!!
Thank you. Amazing. I want to paint like her when I grow up.
I agree heartily with every comment above.
Stunning! I love the way she captures mood, vivid colour and some impressionism. A treat for my eyes. Thanks for sharing.
Lovely collection to view and see how she handled various “impressions”. New artist for me. Thank you for sharing!
Breathtaking artist. I feel that I am part of the paintings. More detail than I can ever do. Thank you for including her in your reviews.
Thank you, Dan, for introducing me to Olga and her amazing work! I have never seen her mentioned before in any way-and I have hundreds of books on art and have read about painters from all over the world.
1. Loved her work; yes, like Sorolla, so far, my favourite!
2. Looks like she used a palette knife a lot. What do you think?
3. Dan, I’m taking your Composition Breakdown class. Even with the two (of 20) paintings I’ve analyzed so far using your Composition Breakdown Checklist, I’m looking at other paintings (including my own) much differently / more analytically and am really taking my time with them. I really recommend Dan and Chontele’s Composition class!
Painting is a singular endeavor and speaks to the personality and depth of the artist. How beautifully Olga becomes part of her scenes through talent Ann artist’s ability to see things so clearly and with such depth. Thanks for sharing and inspiring all of us. Her work is amazing
My favourites were her autumn landscapes and the floodplain work. Thank you so much Dan for sharing this artist’s wonderful work and of course your analysis is always much appreciated!
Thank you Dan for your wonderful observance of all the artist’s we haven’t had the
gift of experiencing, but through you and your wonderful artist’s eye we have enjoyed
now knowing.
So grateful,
Charlotte H.
A huge thank you for sharing this incredible artist with us! Every piece is a masterpiece in use of color, depth and expression. I have searched for my style, which is some where in between realism and impressionism and she definitely nailed it! I wish she were here to counsel me on capturing these moments. Great share! I always enjoy and appreciate your posts so much!! Gracias, amigo!!
Why I subscribe is perfectly presented by your artist sharing of this lady. WOW her autumn scenes are stunners!! Thanks so much for what you do!
Beautiful paintings especially the poppies by the window , pond behind the house and playing with kittens. Her paintings are full of detail and so lifelike.
Thanks
I was not familiar with Olga’s work. Absolutely beautiful! Thank you.
These are lovely. I love how she uses colors that are duller, but how natural and effortless they look. I want to be able to convey light and shadow like she does. Thank you for sharing, Dan!
i enjoyed seeing the paintings of Olga.
I still find in MALTA PLACES similar of what she painted. Perhaps she was in malta
who knows
THANK YOU FOR BEING SUCH A GOOD SOURCE OF INFORMATION
Regards
IMPERIA MIFSUD
MELLIEHA
MALTA
Enjoyed seeing these paintings and marveled at the sense of depth she is able to bring to just about every one of those paintings. The other outstanding element, for me, was the texture in the paintings. The side of the house was the first and it went on from there, one better than the one before! Outstanding texture. Loved the sense that the leaves on the ground on the paths weren’t flat on the ground but were slightly raised on top of each other using darks amid the light yellows of the leaves. I loved seeing them all. Thanks
Thank you for sharing these beautiful works with us. I truly enjoyed her paintings. Glad you introduced Olga’s masterful art to us.
Beautiful paintings. Thank you so much for introducing me to this amazing artist and her lovely, unique style.
Absolutely stunning! Thank you for introducing her to us!
These articles are always so helpful! Thanks
Thank you for introducing Olga and your insightful comments about her paintings. It’s inspiring to me and I want to apply the variation of lighting to my subjects. It adds interest to the painting.
Love her work! Thank you for sharing her vision.
What beautiful work! Thank you for letting me know about her.
How beautiful each painting is! Thankyou so much for passing these on, and for renewing inspiration.
Beautiful art! Olga I hope was recognized for her excellence.
I did know the artist. Wow! How poetic and beautiful. She could be a study on her own: composition, light, brushstrokes, movement, mood,etc.
I can see why she appeals to you.
Thank you
I look forward to your comments to guide us through these old masters paintings. It helps me to continually scan and view my work with the desire to maintain saying what I want and holding the viewer to explore the painting. Thanks for sharing . So many amazing artists I had not been aware of.
Dan, not sure how I could have missed this remarkable artist for so long!?! Thank you for bring her to our attention – she is certainly worthy of the title “Master!”
These paintings are so beautiful. I see a bit of Van Gogh in them. The fall paintings are especially breathtaking in the light on the trees. It makes me long for the fall though I do not want to see the summer end quite yet! Thank you for introducing Olga to me! Connie Smith
I completely agree with you
Delightful paintings…some could be country scenes of today
Love them
So far, Olga is one of my favorite artists I have ever seen. She combines beautiful sketches and lines to bring the ordinary to life. Her choices in POV are captivating. Her use of color is well schooled because she balances the warm and cool versions of her color choices, which she uses to create light using changes in value that are often subtle. She also uses color to create the surreal nature of reality at times where everything distills to shape and color. Her brushstroke mixture of impasto – where she creates movement and energy – and her finer detailed brushwork which is balanced well against the impasto emotions. The surprise for me was my intrigue upon spending time immersed in her vibe. I love this because this is an example of where I think my painting is going, hopefully. Thanks Dan…Brian