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This monograph on Joseph Ignaz Mildorfer (1719-1775) consists of forteen chapters, that after having given an overall curriculum, depict the various stations in the painter's working process. Special emphasis has been given to such criteria as the socio-economic, political and esthetic impacts, that shaped the development of this intriguing artist.
Mildorfer was born into a distinguished family of painters in Innsbruck, where he was taught the basics of his profession. However, he was also exposed to the newly imported paintings from southern Germany, which at this time sparked Tyrolian tradition with international flavor. Partly due to those early stimuli, the young painter managed to instantly gain the renowned "big prize" of the Academy, upon his arrival in Imperial Vienna. This distinction was a prerequisite to any further career. Praised by his contemporaries as the most prodigious pupil of Paul Troger, Mildorfer soon was offered remarkable employments. His first major task, the complete decoration of the pilgrimage church at Hafnerberg near Vienna, comprising works in fresco and oil was soon to be followed by a commission from the Imperial court. But Austria was plagued by a raging War of Succession, which cast its shadow upon the job market, forcing Mildorfer to venture out into alternative fields. This he found in the painting of battlescenes. In this genre the young artist produced works of such rebellious intenseness that surpassed all his colleagues' endeavors and saved him a special niche. It might well be that those particular paintings drew the attention of the last great sponsers of the monarchy to Mildorfer, resulting in his being appointed painter of the court to the Duchess of Savoy, neé Maria Theresia Princess of Liechtenstein. (By way of scholarly work in the Princely Archives of Liechtenstein we have now established answers to questions regarding character and extend of Mildorfers work for the Duchess, that up till now has been obscured). In addition this period marked the beginning of a long lasting relationship with various branches of the Esterházy family, culminating in Mildorfer's appointment to Esterháza. Here he was commissioned to paint al fresco in Duke Nikolaus Esterházy's castle, one of the last manifestations of feudal style, the elaborate adornment of which promted the Duke with the attribute "The Magnificent".
When Mildorfer was elected Professor at the Academy (kaiserlich-königliche Hofakademie der Mahler, Bildhauer und Baukunst) this not only marked the zenith of his career but also had major impact on one of the most thrilling phenomena within eighteenth century Viennese art. It was under his leadership that a movement took center stage, that was aprostophized the "Einheitsstil der Wiener Akademie". Carried out by an array of his scholars, notably Franz Anton Maubertsch this faszinating manifestation had Mildorfer's ideas at its core. With his contributions in the Crown Lands of the Habsburg monarchy in mind, his work makes him a typical Central-European artist of the eighteenth century. However some of his lesser graspable traits can only be understood out of the "Zeitgeist" and must be explained under the term of "painter of the sensibility".
Since Mildorfer is the link between Paul Troger, his teacher and Franz Anton Maulbertsch, his student, a comprehensive biography of this artist is an absolute must. Only that makes a profound understanding of the third generation of Austrian barock-painting possible. - Die vorliegende Monographie über den Maler Joseph Ignaz Mildorfer (1719-1775) umfasst vierzehn Kapitel, die mit dem Lebenslauf beginnend die verschiedenen Etappen im Werk des Malers veranschaulichen. Dabei wurde grosser Wert auf die soziologischen, politischen und ästhetischen Kriterien gelegt, welche die Entwicklung dieses eigenwilligen Künstlers bestimmten.
In eine angesehene Malerfamilie in Innsbruck geboren, erlebte Mildorfer neben seiner konventionellen Ausbildung in der väterlichen Werkstatt hier auch den Beginn einer internationalen Monumentalmalerei, die erst durch den Import süddeutscher Maler auf tiroler Boden um sich griff. Mit diesen frühen Anregungen versehen, gelang es dem jungen Maler bei seiner Ankunft in der Kaiserstadt denn auch mit erstaunlicher Sicherheit den, für eine erfolgreiche Karriere imperativen, grossen Preis der Wiener Akademie zu gewinnen. Im Fahrwasser Paul Trogers, als dessen begabtester Schüler er von den Zeitgenossen gerühmt wurde, stellten sich in rascher Folge prestigereiche Angebote ein. Dem erstaunlich grossen Erstlingswerk, der malerischen Gesamtausstattung der Wallfahrtskirche am Hafnerberg, schloss sich bald der erste kaiserliche Auftrag an. Doch Österreich befand sich im Erbfolgekrieg, der die künstlerische Auftragssituation ernstlich bedrohte und auch Mildorfer zwang, nach Alternativen zu suchen. Und solche fand er in der Schlachtenmalerei. In diesem Genre schuf der junge Künstler Werke von einer aufrührenden Intensität, die ihn weit über seine Kollegen an der Akademie herausragen liessen, und ihm eine eigene Nische boten. Sicherlich machten gerade diese Bilder die letzten grossen Mäzene der Monarchie auf Mildorfer aufmerksam, was zu seiner Berufung als Hofmaler der Herzogin Maria Theresia von Savoyen, geborener Prinzessin von Liechtenstein führte, und eine lang anhaltende Zusammenarbeit mit den verschiedenen Zweigen der Familie Esterházy nach sich zog. Als Krönung rief Nikolaus Fürst Esterházy Mildorfer schliesslich nach Esterháza, um jenes Schloss zu freskieren, dessen aufwendige Gestaltung seinem Besitzer den Beinamen "der Prachtliebende" bescherte. (Die gründliche Aufarbeitung des Fürstlich Liechtensteinischen Archivs in Vaduz beantwortet nun endlich die Frage nach Art und Ausmass des tradierten, aber nie geklärten Arbeitsverhältnisses unseres Malers mit dem Hause Liechtenstein).
Mildorfers Wahl zum wiener Akademieprofessor markierte nicht nur den Höhepunkt dieses Künstlerlebens, sondern spielte auch ganz wesentlich in eines der spannendsten Kapitel der wiener Kunst des 18. Jahrhunderts hinein. Unter seiner Ägide nämlich entstand hier der vielzitierte "Einheitsstil der Wiener Akademie", der von der Fülle seiner Schüler, allen voran Franz Anton Maulbetsch getragen wurde und Mildorfer zum Urheber dieses faszinierenden Phänomens macht. Die Arbeiten in den ehemaligen Kronländern kompletieren sein Werk als das eines typischen Mitteleuropäers des 18. Jahrhunderts. Manche, der oft schwer nachvollziehbaren Eigenschaften dieses kontroversen Malers müssen allerdings aus dem Zeitgeist gedeutet, und unter dem Begriff "Maler der Empfindsamkeit" verständlich gemacht werden.
Mildorfer umfassend zu bearbeiten ist ein Desideratum, denn ohne ihn als Verbindungsglied zwischen Paul Troger, seinem Lehrer und Franz Anton Maulbertsch, seinem Schüler voll zu erfassen, wird immer ein Baustein im Gefüge der österreichischen Barockmalerei fehlen.

This monograph on Joseph Ignaz Mildorfer (1719-1775) consists of forteen chapters, that after having given an overall curriculum, depict the various stations in the painter's working process. Special emphasis has been given to such criteria as the socio-economic, political and esthetic impacts, that shaped the development of this intriguing artist. Mildorfer was born into a distinguished family of painters in Innsbruck, where he was taught the basics of his profession. However, he was also exposed to the newly imported paintings from southern Germany, which at this time sparked Tyrolian tradition with international flavor. Partly due to those early stimuli, the young painter managed to instantly gain the renowned "big prize" of the Academy, upon his arrival in Imperial Vienna. This distinction was a prerequisite to any further career. Praised by his contemporaries as the most prodigious pupil of Paul Troger, Mildorfer soon was offered remarkable employments. His first major task, the complete decoration of the pilgrimage church at Hafnerberg near Vienna, comprising works in fresco and oil was soon to be followed by a commission from the Imperial court. But Austria was plagued by a raging War of Succession, which cast its shadow upon the job market, forcing Mildorfer to venture out into alternative fields. This he found in the painting of battlescenes. In this genre the young artist produced works of such rebellious intenseness that surpassed all his colleagues' endeavors and saved him a special niche. It might well be that those particular paintings drew the attention of the last great sponsers of the monarchy to Mildorfer, resulting in his being appointed painter of the court to the Duchess of Savoy, neé Maria Theresia Princess of Liechtenstein. (By way of scholarly work in the Princely Archives of Liechtenstein we have now established answers to questions regarding character and extend of Mildorfers work for the Duchess, that up till now has been obscured). In addition this period marked the beginning of a long lasting relationship with various branches of the Esterházy family, culminating in Mildorfer's appointment to Esterháza. Here he was commissioned to paint al fresco in Duke Nikolaus Esterházy's castle, one of the last manifestations of feudal style, the elaborate adornment of which promted the Duke with the attribute "The Magnificent". When Mildorfer was elected Professor at the Academy (kaiserlich-königliche Hofakademie der Mahler, Bildhauer und Baukunst) this not only marked the zenith of his career but also had major impact on one of the most thrilling phenomena within eighteenth century Viennese art. It was under his leadership that a movement took center stage, that was aprostophized the "Einheitsstil der Wiener Akademie". Carried out by an array of his scholars, notably Franz Anton Maubertsch this faszinating manifestation had Mildorfer's ideas at its core. With his contributions in the Crown Lands of the Habsburg monarchy in mind, his work makes him a typical Central-European artist of the eighteenth century. However some of his lesser graspable traits can only be understood out of the "Zeitgeist" and must be explained under the term of "painter of the sensibility". Since Mildorfer is the link between Paul Troger, his teacher and Franz Anton Maulbertsch, his student, a comprehensive biography of this artist is an absolute must. Only that makes a profound understanding of the third generation of Austrian barock-painting possible.