Arbeiter an einem Hausbau
um 1889
Medium
Öl auf Holz
Dimensions
34,7 × 29 cm
Classification
Gemälde
Department
Belvedere Collection
Museum
Belvedere
Credit
Belvedere, Vienna
Accession Number
3812
Art Historical Context
In the Belvedere Collection in Vienna, Max Klinger's *Arbeiter an einembau* (Workers at House Construction), painted around 1889, captures a moment of everyday labor in oil on wood. Measuring just 34.7 × 29 cm, this intimate panel invites close viewing, its compact wooden support—a medium favored for its stability and fine detail—allowing Klinger to render textures with precision, from rough masonry to workers' weathered faces. Klinger, a pioneering German artist (1857–1920) associated with Symbolism and the Jugendstil movement, often infused realistic scenes with deeper psychological or alle...
About the Artist
Max Klinger · 1857–1920
Max Klinger, born on February 18, 1857, in Leipzig to a wealthy family, emerged as one of Germany's most innovative artists across painting, sculpture, printmaking, and graphics. Demonstrating early talent, he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe in 1874 as a pupil of Karl Gussow, following his teacher to the Berlin Academy upon Gussow's appointment as director, and graduated in 1877 ...