The period
of Biedermeier demonstrates a special interest in portraying children as unique
and specific individuals. Particularly portraits of children began to thrive in
secular painting, which was a logical result of the overall flourishing of
portraiture that had been triggered off by the bourgeoisie after the French
Revolution. Children portraits, like portraits of adults, became a question of
social status. It was also the time when the middle-class society was focused
on idyllic family life concentrated on children.
Among the Slovenian
Biedermeier painters it was particularly Matevž Langus (1792–1855) that
quickly, skilfully and successfully adapted his work to the demands of his
clients. From the 1820s onwards he was one of the most sought-after portraitists
of children. Typical of Langus’ portraiture are oil portraits which show a
topographically recognizable veduta in the background. Although at first sight it
seems that his portrait schemes of children rely to a great extent on the
patterns of his adult portraits, his portrayals of the young ones nevertheless have
certain specific features in common. As a rule, children are presented in full
length, mainly in a seated position. Almost always attributes of childhood are
added – toys and different animals in the same role. In contrast to adult
portraits, those of children also include emphasized floral symbolism.
In terms of
formal questions, the central attention is always given to children’s figures
which, as a rule, occupy the foreground. This attention is achieved by careful
and emphasized plastic modelling of children’s faces and bodies as well as by exact
description of details of their clothing and attributes. The landscape
backgrounds are always topographically identifiable. However, the detailed and
smooth painting manner in children’s figures has no equivalent continuation in
the landscape. Even if we allow for the effects of atmospheric perspective, the
backgrounds seem too dull and schematized. The landscape image serves as a
geographical attribute within the coordinates of the adult world and is reasonably
shifted far into the background. The children’s phantasy world is enclosed
within palpably painted leaves of grass and a web of gaily coloured flowers of
the home garden – the “miraculous” garden – which is the most frequent setting
for children’s portraits.
The
painting Two Children is the epitome
of all the stated characteristics. The portrayed children have not been
identified yet, but in the background to the left the outline of the Rožnik
hill with the church can be recognized, which indicates Ljubljana as the home
place of the sitters. The garden architecture behind the children acts as a
safe shelter. The small dog in the picture implies children’s play and adds
animated genre content to the portrait. Forget-me-nots, which occur as an
attribute of unspoiled memories of carefree childhood in all portraits of
children in outdoor settings, are also included in the present picture – meaningful
are those in the hands of the younger child, being so small that it is only
trying to stand on its feet. The memory of helplessness and elementariness of the
earliest childhood is also evoked by the nakedness of the young sitters. Roses
next to the elder girl were also a compulsory addition, but not only in
children’s portraits but also in those of adults, women in particular.
The
painting is not dated, but according to the shortcomings in anatomy and formal
characteristics it can be ranked with Langus’ early works, those that were
executed around 1830. Particularly rewarding is comparison with his portrait of
an unidentified young lady kept in the museum in Novo mesto. In both pictures
the same troubles with proportions and other difficulties of a beginner can be
observed, together with formal synchronicity in details, such as the way of
painting the roses or the ornaments on fabrics. The two canvases are also
almost identical in size. However, only further investigations on the basis of the
stated indications can possibly disclose content- and client-related connections
between the two portraits and lead to reliable identification of the sitters.
Author
Kristina Preininger
Translated by
Alenka Klemenc
7 June–5 September 2018
National Gallery of Slovenia
Prešernova 24
1000 Ljubljana