Alt, Rudolf von#

b. Vienna, Aug. 28, 1812, d. Vienna, March 12, 1905, painter and Austria's most important watercolourist; son of Jakob Alt, brother of Franz Alt. At an early age coloured the lithographs of his father. Studied at the Vienna Academy with J. Moessmer at the Vienna Academy, often accompanied and worked with his father. From 1830 travelled the lands of the Austrian Empire, Bavaria, Switzerland, Italy and the Crimean peninsula, in the course of which he created a series of landscapes and views of towns, also depicting interiors. In 1867 he declined a professorship at the Vienna Academy; in his later years the Viennese cityscape once more became the recurrent subject of his paintings; numerous awards and prizes, founding member of the Vienna "Kuenstlerhaus", 1897 Honorary President of the Vienna "Secession". While paying attention to the detailed representation of nature in his early years, his later works displayed more freedom of style with almost impressionist elements, especially where he aimed at capturing light, colour and atmosphere using a varnishing technique.

Literature#