Bust of artist Hans Makart

Tilgner’s bust of his contemporary, the famous Austrian painter and graphic artist Hans Makart, has been made precisely; the complicated texture of the form achieves an impression of the subject’s impetuous and romantic nature. In the dynamic of the expression the sculptor is close to the baroque style which is not coincides with the rapid development of events in 19th century spiritual life but also with the way Makart painted. The brush and palette indicates the subject’s profession. The noble face expresses passion and temperament. It seems that Makart has been depicted at a time when he was working on one of his large historical composition or an allegorically mythological subject from impressions gained on his journey to Egypt. It is possible that the portrait was made in Makart’s studio in the important centre of Vienna.