Herkules und die Hydra (1915)

Franz von Stuck prints bring the dark glamour of Munich Symbolism into the home. Stuck painted serpents, sphinxes, fauns and fallen angels in glowing colour against deep black grounds, and in 1892 he helped found the Munich Secession. Our collection has 175 of his paintings, studies, portraits and exhibition posters as fine art prints, from The Sin and Lucifer to tender portraits of his daughter Mary.

About Franz von Stuck

Franz Stuck was born on 23 February 1863 in Tettenweis, a village near Passau in Bavaria. In 1878 he moved to Munich, the city he would call home for the rest of his life. He studied at the Royal School of Applied Arts, then at the Munich Academy until 1885.

He first made his name as a draughtsman, drawing caricatures for the humour magazine Fliegende Blätter. He began painting in oils around 1887. In 1889 The Guardian of Paradise won a gold medal at the Munich Glass Palace, and his career took off.

In 1892 Stuck co-founded the Munich Secession. The Sin followed in 1893 and was a great success. In 1895 he began teaching painting at the Munich Academy, where his students included Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee and Josef Albers. In 1897 he married Mary Lindpaintner, an American widow, and he later adopted his daughter Mary, born in 1896, who appears in many of his portraits.

From 1897 Stuck designed his own house and studio in Munich, down to the furniture, which won a gold medal at the 1900 Paris World Exposition. In 1906 he was ennobled and became Ritter von Stuck. He died in Munich on 30 August 1928, and his home, the Villa Stuck, is now a museum.

Style and Subjects

Stuck's favourite subjects came from myth and the Bible: Lucifer, the Sphinx, Medusa, Salome, Judith, fauns and centaurs. Inspired by the Swiss painter Arnold Böcklin, he gave these stories large, solid figures that show his feeling for sculpture, and his seductive female nudes are among the best-known images of Symbolism. Look for pale bodies glowing out of near-black backgrounds, rich gold and deep red.

There is a gentler side too. He painted many portraits of his wife and daughter in costume, playful scenes of fauns and nymphs, landscapes and children sledging in the snow. He also designed posters for the Munich Secession and other exhibitions, with strong outlines and flat colour in the Jugendstil manner.

Famous Works

• The Guardian of Paradise (1889), Museum Villa Stuck, Munich. A young angel with a flaming sword stands guard at the gate of Eden; it won Stuck his first gold medal.
• Lucifer (1890), National Gallery for Foreign Art, Sofia. The fallen angel crouches in darkness, staring out with glowing eyes.
• The Sin (1893), Neue Pinakothek, Munich. A pale nude woman looks out from the shadows with a huge serpent coiled around her body.
• War (1894), Bavarian State Painting Collections, Munich. A grim rider moves slowly over a field of fallen bodies.
• The Kiss of the Sphinx (1895), Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest. A kneeling man is caught in the embrace of the Sphinx in a fiery red light.
• Salome (1906), Lenbachhaus, Munich. Salome dances in jewels as a servant carries the head of John the Baptist, lit by a golden glow.
• Children Sledging (1908), Staatsgalerie Stuttgart. A cheerful winter scene from Stuck's lighter side.

Decorating with Stuck Prints

Stuck's dark mythological paintings, such as The Sin, Lucifer and The Kiss of the Sphinx, have the dark grounds and bold contrasts that suit a moody living room, a library or a dramatic hallway. Because many of these scenes include nudes, a sitting room or study may suit them better than a family space.

For a softer mood, his portraits of his daughter Mary in Spanish, Japanese and Velázquez costumes work well in bedrooms and dressing rooms. Children Sledging and the playful faun scenes bring warmth to a family room. His Munich Secession exhibition posters, with their strong outlines and flat colour, make a stylish group on an office or kitchen wall.

FAQ

What art movement was Franz von Stuck part of?

Stuck was one of the leading painters of Symbolism and Jugendstil, the German form of Art Nouveau. In 1892 he co-founded the Munich Secession.

What is Franz von Stuck's most famous painting?

The Sin (1893) is his best-known painting: a nude woman in the shadows with a large serpent wrapped around her. The best-known version hangs in the Neue Pinakothek in Munich.

Where can I see Franz von Stuck's original paintings?

In Munich, his former home, the Museum Villa Stuck, holds The Guardian of Paradise, and you can also find his work in the Neue Pinakothek and the Lenbachhaus. Lucifer is in Sofia, and The Kiss of the Sphinx is in Budapest.

How can I recognise a painting by Franz von Stuck?

Look for mythological or biblical figures, pale bodies set against very dark backgrounds, and a palette of black, gold and deep red. Serpents, sphinxes and fauns appear again and again.

Did Franz von Stuck teach famous artists?

Yes. As a professor at the Munich Academy from 1895, he taught painting to students including Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Josef Albers and Hans Purrmann.

Related Artists

• Arnold Böcklin — Swiss Symbolist whose mythological paintings inspired Stuck
• Wilhelm Trübner — co-founded the Munich Secession with Stuck in 1892
• Wassily Kandinsky — studied painting with Stuck at the Munich Academy
• Paul Klee — another of Stuck's students at the Munich Academy