Camaret. Küste bei Brest (1908)

Alfred Zoff prints bring the sunlit coasts of the Italian Riviera, the fishing harbours of Chioggia and the green valleys of Austria into your home. Zoff was an Austrian landscape painter from Graz, a master of light and atmosphere in the style known as Austrian "mood Impressionism". Our collection of fine art prints covers his Riviera coasts, Venetian lagoon harbours, Belgian and Dutch views, and Austrian landscapes.

About Alfred Zoff

Alfred Zoff was born in Graz on 11 December 1852, the son of a doctor from Carinthia. He decided early to be an artist, and although he began by studying medicine, from 1869 he took classes at the State Drawing Academy in Graz with the landscape painter Hermann von Königsbrunn.

By 1880 he had committed to art and enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna under Eduard Peithner von Lichtenfels. After his father's death in 1882 his mother moved to Klagenfurt, and the area around it became one of his favourite places to paint. He also travelled to Italy and Belgium. In 1890 he completed his training at the Karlsruhe Academy with Gustav Schönleber, who introduced him to the landscape painting of the Barbizon school.

He then lived in Munich and in Krems an der Donau. From 1907 he was professor of landscape and still-life painting at the academy in Graz. He won a bronze medal at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle and was a member of the Vienna Künstlerhaus from 1883 and the Hagenbund from 1900. Shortly before his death the city of Graz granted him honorary citizenship. He died in Graz on 12 August 1927.

Style and Subjects

Zoff belongs to the Viennese style called Stimmungsimpressionismus, or mood Impressionism, which values atmosphere and the feeling of a place over drama. His landscapes are fresh and airy, painted with loose, confident strokes and a light, sunny palette.

He loved the sea, painting rocky coasts, breaking waves and harbours full of fishing boats, as well as orchards in blossom, riverside meadows and quiet villages in Austria.

Famous Works

• San Giuliano in Genoa (1887). A Ligurian coast view from his early travels in Italy.
• A View of the Nervi Coast (1888). Rocky shore and blue sea near Genoa.
• Homecoming of the Fishermen of Concarneau (1893). Breton fishermen returning to port.
• Coast Golfo Paradiso (1896). The bright coast east of Genoa.
• Port of Chioggia (1900), Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest. Fishing boats in the lagoon town near Venice.
• The Meadow near Krems (1903). A green riverside meadow from his years on the Danube.
• On the Ligurian Coast (1913). Late sunshine on the Italian Riviera.
• Blossoming Trees in Deutschlandsberg (1914). Spring orchards in Styria.

Decorating with Zoff Prints

Zoff's Riviera and Chioggia scenes, like Riviera, Breaking Waves in Boccadasse, bring summer light to a living room, bathroom or coastal home, with their blues, whites and warm stone colours.

His Austrian meadows and blossoming orchards suit a bedroom, kitchen or country-style room, and his Dutch and Belgian harbours make a pleasant group for a hallway or study.

FAQ

Who was Alfred Zoff?

Alfred Zoff (1852–1927) was an Austrian landscape painter from Graz who painted the Italian Riviera, the Venetian lagoon, Belgium and Austria. He taught landscape painting at the Graz academy from 1907.

What art movement was Alfred Zoff part of?

He was an exponent of Austrian Stimmungsimpressionismus, or mood Impressionism, and is also described as a Post-Impressionist landscape painter.

Who taught Alfred Zoff?

He studied with Hermann von Königsbrunn in Graz, Eduard Peithner von Lichtenfels in Vienna and Gustav Schönleber in Karlsruhe, who introduced him to the Barbizon school.

Where can I see Alfred Zoff's paintings?

The Museum of Fine Arts and the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest hold his views of Chioggia.

Related Artists

• Gustav Schönleber: his teacher in Karlsruhe
• Emil Jakob Schindler: leading painter of Austrian mood Impressionism
• Tina Blau: fellow Austrian landscape painter of the same style
• Marie Egner: Austrian landscape painter of the same movement